Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council recalls 32 products, takes corrective action on 6 products

ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (QCC), the entity responsible for developing the quality infrastructure in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, has announced the results of its inspections for controlled products, measurement scales and pre-packaged products in Abu Dhabi Emirate’s markets during the period from 1^st January to the end of March, Q1 2019.

During the ongoing inspections carried out by the council during the quarter, 16,524 samples of various controlled products were inspected, including toys, electrical appliances, tires, tobacco products and household cleaning products. Based on those inspections, the QCC took corrective action on 6 products with a total of 2,108 units, and recalled a further 32 products with a total of 4,120 units that were not compliant with QCC quality and safety requirements. Further details can be found on the web-site, www.manaa.ae.

As part of its continuing efforts to provide a safer and fairer market in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and within the authorization agreement signed by the Council and the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology, QCC also verified the accuracy of 2,900 legal measuring instruments and the accuracy of packaged quantity labeling for 5,752 pre-packaged units of 179 food products from factories, suppliers and markets in Abu Dhabi.

The verified legal measuring instruments included retail scales, jewelry and precious metal scales, oud and Arabian perfume scales, weighing platforms, trade shipping scales, and fuel-pump meters at ADNOC Distribution service stations. All non-compliant measurement scales were withdrawn from use until maintenance and re-verification took place in order to ensure compliance with all mandatory requirements according to the regulations for each scale.

Commenting on the quarterly report, Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Executive Director of Consumer and Market Services at QCC, said: “These inspections are in line with the ongoing efforts of the Council to achieve its vision of developing the quality infrastructure and complement the emirate's ability to excel at a global level, while promoting the culture of quality, industrial development, competitiveness and consumer safety as part of Abu Dhabi's plan to build a sustainable and globally competitive economy.”

Mr. Al Mazrouei highlighted the fact that QCC has specialised technical teams and inspectors with the rights of judicial seizure who carry out daily verification of measurement scales and pre-packaged products. “QCC works to establish transparency within the Abu Dhabi market and takes into account the interests of both consumers and vendors. The Council also works on ensuring the accuracy of legal measurement instruments such as scales and fuel meters, the quantity of pre-packaged products, and their conformity with both local and international standards. The Council ensures that all scales have the gold verification mark, ‘Verified’, which means they have successfully passed the verification process,” he said.

The Council encourages companies and employees in the industrial and commercial sectors to apply for the ‘AD Trustmark’, which promotes the trust of customers in the products. It also contributes to the Council's efforts to establish Abu Dhabi Emirate as a world-class investment destination with a quality infrastructure.

QCC is the first Government entity in Abu Dhabi to be accredited with the International Standard ISO/IEC 17020:2012 in measurement scales verification, which reflects the QCC’s commitment to the aspirations of the wise leadership in achieving Abu Dhabi objectives.

The Q1 inspections carried out included checks on various home electronic appliances such as air conditioners, refrigerators and washing machines; kitchen appliances including electric kettles, deep fryers, grills and ovens, as well as personal care products such as electric shavers, among others. QCC inspectors verified the compliance of the products with international quality and safety standards as well as technical specifications. They also checked whether the appliances held the Emirates Conformity Assessment Scheme (ECAS) certificate issued by the Emirates Standardization and Metrology Authority (ESMA). 

In addition, requirements stipulate that all electrical home appliances should be fitted with a 3-pin plug, and energy-intensive devices such as air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines and dryers must carry the energy efficiency label from ESMA to indicate their energy efficiency rating. The more ‘stars’ the appliance has, the more energy-efficient it is considered to be.

Children's toys, cigarette and tobacco products, household detergents, and vehicle tires were also inspected for compliance with quality and safety requirements, as per QCC specifications and technical regulations.

QCC Inspectors issue warnings to outlets retailing non-compliant products and temporarily withdraw them from circulation until corrective measures are adopted to ensure conformance, before allowing them to resume sales.

QCC inspectors visited a number of factories and commercial entities to check pre-packaged products. They verified 5,752 samples of 179 different products, including locally manufactured and imported food products, detergents and personal care products.

The Council urges consumers to look for the gold verification marks on scales and fuel-pump meters before making any purchases and to report the use of instruments that have a red seal, indicating non-compliance, to the Abu Dhabi Government Contact Centre on 800 555.

The Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council was established in 2009 to raise the quality of the emirate’s exports and locally traded products while protecting the interests of consumers and support the UAE’s competitive economy. QCC empowers regulators to establish and implement product safety, metrology and conformity schemes. The Council also sets guidelines and benchmarks to verify that products manufactured and traded in Abu Dhabi conform to the highest quality standards.

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© Press Release 2019