Worrisome: More than two-thirds of Temu and Shein products violate safety standards – Update: Temu responds
A new investigation by Belgian consumer group Testachats, in cooperation with its German and Danish counterparts, has revealed alarming safety issues with products sold on popular Chinese shopping platforms Shein and Temu.
Safety standards? What are those?
According to the findings, nearly 70% of the tested items fail to meet European safety standards, meaning they should not legally be sold within the European Union.
The organisations examined 162 products across three categories – children’s toys, USB chargers and necklaces – assessing them for mechanical, electrical, chemical and labelling compliance. Most of the items were sold by third-party vendors, with Shein and Temu merely providing the online marketplace.
Here is what the inspectors found
Out of the total, 112 products were found to have at least one violation. The worst offenders were children’s toys: every toy purchased from Shein, and 26 out of 27 bought from Temu, failed to meet safety requirements.
Inspectors found toxic materials, unsafe designs, and small detachable parts posing choking hazards. Roughly 60% of the toys were classified as posing a medium to high safety risk.
The USB chargers performed no better. Out of 54 tested items, only two were compliant. Some devices heated to over 100 degrees Celsius under load, creating a serious fire hazard.
Choking hazard, and even toxic materials
While the necklaces showed fewer design flaws, several were found to contain extremely high levels of cadmium – a toxic and carcinogenic metal. In one case, the concentration exceeded the legal limit by a staggering 8,500 times.
In response to the findings, Belgian Environment Minister Jean-Luc Crucke launched a campaign urging consumers to avoid products containing hazardous substances and to raise awareness about the health risks linked to cheap, unregulated imports.
Julie Frere, spokesperson for Testachats, described the situation bluntly:
Buying from Temu or Shein is like playing Russian roulette. Some items are fine, but others pose serious safety risks.
Consumer groups are urging shoppers to exercise caution when purchasing from online marketplaces and to check for the CE marking, which indicates that a product complies with EU safety standards.
Temu response
We take product safety very seriously. Regarding the products in question, we have swiftly removed them and notified the respective sellers.
Temu has a comprehensive quality control system in place to prevent, detect, and remove non-compliant products, including conducting physical inspections. We also work with top independent testing organizations to make sure products sold on Temu meet required standards.
We remain committed to providing a safe and trustworthy shopping experience for all and to full compliance with EU product safety regulations.
What, you think you can get a chainsaw for five bucks and not have it literally slice your head off!?
More fool you!
Hoestly! What can you expect out of chinese trash. Its ment to kill people.
Chinese products can be good or bad. Chinese factories just like other whipping boys of the past (Japan) make merchandise to sell at the price point that the vendor ask for. I have some Chinese tool sets that are very high quality and have others not so good. Bottom line, you get what you pay for. IF the price is cheap there is a reason for that. It is best to try and buy merchandise from manufacturers located in the E.U. if you can and also try to support your local merchants when possible if you can get quality goods and customer service.