Legislators Urge Establishment of Management System for High-Risk Infant and Toddler Products

(CNA, Taipei, July 7) DPP Legislator Lin Yueh-chin and Hsu Ya-jen, CEO of the John Tung Foundation, stated today that some infant and toddler products may increase the risk of choking or suffocation. They urged the government to establish a management system for high-risk infant and toddler products. Through mechanisms such as risk assessment, information disclosure, and online platform management, child safety management can be elevated from post-accident handling to pre-accident prevention.

Cheng Ching-hung, deputy head of the Inspection Administration Division at the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection (BSMI), who was invited to the press conference, said that 37 infant and toddler products, including baby bath chairs, have been progressively included in the mandatory inspection scope. Importers or manufacturers must comply with inspection standards before they can be sold in the market. Random inspections will also be conducted, including on online platforms. Products that do not comply with regulations will be required to be removed from shelves and recalled.

Furthermore, the BSMI stated in a press release on its official website that considering the continuous emergence of new types of infant and toddler products, such as baby nests or nursing pillows, it will continue to collect international standard development trends. Based on product characteristics and hazards, risk assessments will be conducted, and the necessity of including them in mandatory inspections will be reviewed and adjusted to improve management measures.

The BSMI indicated that in response to the shift in consumption patterns towards online shopping, it has established a cooperative mechanism with major domestic online platforms. This mechanism requires platforms to disclose the commodity inspection mark numbers of products subject to mandatory inspection in advance. During the process, web crawling technology will be used to patrol products sold on platforms, and market inspections and sample testing of online products will be strengthened. For those who sell non-compliant products or repeatedly list products subject to mandatory inspection that are non-compliant, legal penalties will be imposed to enhance the safety of online products.

Lin Yueh-chin and Hsu Ya-jen held a press conference at the Legislative Yuan today, displaying products such as nursing pillows, baby nests, and baby bath chairs. They explained that in recent years, various infant and toddler products marketed for parenting convenience and freeing up hands have rapidly increased. However, some products may increase the risk of choking, suffocation, tipping, and drowning. Some have even received warnings or recalls from overseas but are still available for sale through online platforms.

Lin Yueh-chin pointed out that children lack the ability to identify product risks, making it the government's greater responsibility to safeguard them. She added that for some products, even after receiving overseas warnings or recalls, relevant information is not effectively conveyed to parents, and they continue to be sold, indicating deficiencies in the current management system. She urged the government to establish a cross-ministerial management mechanism for high-risk products to strengthen risk assessment, monitoring, warning, and recall systems.

Hsu Ya-jen stated that product safety cannot solely rely on parents' judgment. The government should establish a management system for high-risk products to identify and manage products with safety concerns early on, thereby reducing accidents. (Editor: Su Lung-chi) 1150707

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