The department protects consumers’ interest through enforcement of the Toys and Children’s Products Safety Ordinance, Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance, Weights and Measures Ordinance, and Trade Descriptions (Marking)(Gold and Gold Alloy) Order and Trade Descriptions (Marking)(Platinum) Order.

2. Officers conduct spot checks and investigations to ensure toys, children’s products and consumer goods supplied on the market are reasonably safe and are affixed with bilingual warning labels. In 2003, 2 893 spot checks and 683 investigations were conducted. As a result, eight traders were prosecuted. Besides, the department issued seven Notices to Warn requiring the traders to publish warnings that specified products may be unsafe unless certain steps are taken and 15 Prohibition Notices prohibiting the supply of unsafe products, including marble chess, wheeled-child conveyances, air-inflated and battery-operated lanterns, beauty cream, Oil holding cup for Range hood.

3. In 2004, 2 998 spot checks and 618 investigations were conducted. Nine traders were subsequently prosecuted. Besides, the department issued 48 Prohibition Notices prohibiting the supply of unsafe products, including miniature collection box, magic magnetic board, battery-operated toy lantern, stink bomb toy and children safety harness.

4. To weed out the dishonest practice of short weights and measures, the department conducted 598 spot checks and 359 investigations in 2003 and 605 spot checks and 393 investigations in 2004 to detect and deter the use of inaccurate weighing and measuring equipment in trade and the supply of goods short of the purported weights and measures. Those retail trades against which comparatively more complaints concerning supply of short weights and measures were received continued to be the target of the department’s enforcement actions. As a result, 32 and 25 traders were prosecuted in 2003 and 2004 respectively for contraventions of the Weights and Measures Ordinance.

5. On the other hand, 72 inspections and 20 investigations on gold and jewelry shops were also conducted in 2003 to ensure compliance with the Gold and Platinum Marking Orders and to detect misrepresentations of fineness of gold and platinum in products on sale. Five gold and jewelry shop operators were prosecuted for supplying gold and platinum articles with deficient fineness content or failing to display in their shops the marking order notice as required by the Orders. In 2004, the figures stood at 82, 17 and two respectively.

6. To promote traders’ awareness of product safety and their obligations in complying with the related Ordinances, the department conducted education-oriented seminars for leading department stores, chain shops, and small and medium enterprises in the past two years. Further, the department continued to work closely with the Consumer Council with a view to promoting public awareness of product safety and fair trading.