No tainted toothpaste, standards watchdog says

Until now, no tainted toothpaste has been detected in Malta, the Malta Standards Authority said yesterday after concerns were voiced recently in the USA and Canada and some toothpaste was seized in Italy and Spain after a number of reports.

In Spain, two brands of toothpaste made in China have just been withdrawn from shops due to health safety concerns, the European Union said.

The European Commission had warned member states in May that Chinese-made toothpaste found in a number of Central American countries contained diethylene glycol, or DEG, a substance used in antifreeze.

The authority yesterday said consumers should read carefully the text on labels or leaflets, which according to law should be in English and/or Maltese and should contain the following information:

• Particular precautions to be observed in use such as conditions of use and warnings;

• Function of the product, unless it is clear from the presentation of the product.

The following information must also be present on the label although there are no language requirements in these cases:

• Name and address of the manufacturer or the importer or distributor of the cosmetic product within the European Community (EU);

• Country of origin shall be specified for goods not manufactured in the EU;

• Nominal content at the time of packaging (by weight or by volume);

• Date of minimum durability indicated by the words "best used before the end of" followed by either the date itself (month and year or day), or details of where it appears on the packaging. The period of time after opening for which the product can be used without any harm to the consumer shall be indicated by the following symbol followed by the period (in months and/or years);

• Batch or reference number;

• List of ingredients according to the International Nomenclature for Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) nomenclature preceded by the word "ingredients"; the ingredients can appear in an enclosed leaflet, on a label, tape or card which is enclosed or attached to the toothpaste.

If consumers encounter toothpaste products with non-compliant labels they should contact the Foodstuffs Chemicals Cosmetics Directorate (FCCD) of the Malta Standards Authority using the following contact details:

Malta Standards Authority (Attn: Head - Foodstuffs, Chemicals and Cosmetics Directorate), Second Floor, Evans Building, Merchants Street, Valletta VLT 03; tel.: 2124 2420; fax: 2124 2406 or e-mail: audreyanne.anastasi@msa.org.mt.