Romanian officials have put out a consumer alert on Friday about face masks that are falsely labelled as meeting EU safety standards and are actually manufactured in China.
The move to issue the warning on a EU platform came after authorities withdrew 31 million face masks from the market last week over the faulty labeling.
The masks are sold as disposable protective masks in boxes of 50 and labeled as non-medical masks.
The box carries the CE marking even though they are produced in China, the alert says. The warning can be read in all the languages used across the 27-member bloc.
Romania recently made face masks compulsory in all public places after coronavirus cases soared in the country.
The CE marking is the manufacturer’s declaration that the product meets EU standards for health, safety, and environmental protection.
Paul Anghel, the general manager of the National Authority for Consumer Protection said authorities had recently withdrawn millions of masks due to the fraudulent labeling.
The alert is designed to warn consumers who have already purchased the masks.
It said: “Product which has CE marking has not been certified…. As a result, it’s possible that the product doesn’t meet health and safety standards,” said the alert published on a European Union platform system on Friday.
