There could be plans afoot for The European Parliament to ban fruit-shaped USBs, soaps, fridge magnets and other similar products that imitate food which could appeal to children. The new safety rules would ban any product from being sold that looked like any type of food, including fruit and vegetables.
The law would impact on promotional products
If the law was passed it could mean that many of the fun shaped promotional items that are currently used could be banned. Novelty promotional products are very popular; they come in a variety of different shapes and sizes, including ones that look like foods, fruit and vegetables.
The Daily Mail states that British MEPs have vowed to fight the proposals, as they are worried that if taken further the rules on ‘child-appealing products’ could spell the end for other products such as Henry vacuum cleaners and lava lamps as they also look like play toys.
"fun shaped
promotional items
could be
banned"
MPs say colourful three-dimensional fridge magnets could also fall foul of rules outlawing products which ‘due to their form, odour, colour, appearance, packaging, labeling, volume, size or other characteristics’ could be confused with foodstuffs.
There's still time!
It is not yet an EU law, it still has to be passed by EU governments. The UK and 15 other governments are opposing the law as MPs believe that not only will the shopper suffer as these items will no longer be available to buy, but businesses will be hit hard as these products are put on the banned list.
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