Showbags Get the All Clear
More than 350 show bags have been inspected and given the all clear by Victoria’s product safety inspectors, Minister for Water and Agriculture & Food Security Peter Walsh said this week.
Speaking at the launch of the show Mr Walsh said that for many children, show bags are the highlight of the show experience so it’s vital for these to be checked for any possible hazards.
"Along with the animals, fresh produce and activities like the wood chop, show bags rate as one of traditional favourites of the Melbourne Show so we need to make sure the products contained in these bags are safe," Mr Walsh said.
“Unsafe items, such as toys that can easily choke a child or contain projectiles that could injure a child’s eye, pose a risk to our most vulnerable consumers – children.”
Consumer Affairs Victoria product safety inspectors assessed the contents of 377 show bags looking for a range of hazards including toys with small parts which present an ingestion or inhalation hazard to young children and Projectile toys which may cause serious eye injuries or which present an ingestion/inhalation hazard.
Inspectors assessed over 2000 items in the bags and found 14 items that required further testing. From those 14 products, only one was found to be in breach of product safety standards and was subsequently withdrawn from the show by its suppliers.
Students from Rochester Primary School were on hand to test out the products at today’s launch, scrambling to check out the show bags for themselves.
“The town of Rochester was severely affected by the January flooding with around 80 per cent of the town under water, so it’s great to see these kids out here today enjoying the products in these show bags safely,” Mr Walsh said.
Consumer Affairs Victoria inspectors, on invitation from the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria, have been conducting safety assessments of the contents of showbags since the mid 1980s.
For more information on product safety call Consumer Affairs Victoria on 1300 55 81 81 or visit the Product Safety section on their website.