“Could I see the traceability book concerning the white truffle pudding please? This Thursday, particularly picky customers roam the aisles of the Leclerc Atlantis hypermarket, near Nantes. Equipped with documents and funny accessories such as a thermometer, several agents of the departmental directorate for the protection of populations (DDPP) are engaged in checking various festive products, a few days before Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
In the catering department, Liliane has spotted several foodstuffs that interest her, generally noble products with “enhancing mentions”. “We are trying to find out if the truffle preparations really contain it, or just an aroma, illustrates the inspector. If a food is presented as Label Rouge, we try to verify it with the invoices. This is about loyalty vis-à-vis the consumer, but also about food safety. For example, it should be ensured that the products have not been on the shelves for too long…”
Non-conformities, misleading practices…
Throughout the year, the hundred agents of the Loire-Atlantique DDPP carry out this type of operation, in supermarkets, restaurants, but also importers or manufacturers of objects of all kinds. But with the holidays, causing an influx of customers and new products, it is even more important to track down non-conformities, failures in terms of display, information on product recalls or misleading practices… In front of a large fridge filled with salmon slabs, smoked and packaged directly by the hypermarket, Liliane is continuing her investigations.
“There, I could ask to check the temperature, or the weight to be sure that the tare has been made. At the price of salmon, the consumer does not want to pay for the card! No detail seems to be left to chance. “I also find out about the wood used for smoking, because it must not be treated, points out the inspector. Unfortunately, we see this with some caterers, with a risk for the customer. »
The Dangers of Button Batteries and Blowguns
But it’s not just poisoning that can spoil the party. Since October, there has been a lot of attention on the toys that will soon be put under the tree. Jean-Yves, a colleague of Liliane, goes to the very well-stocked cuddly toy department. “We first ensure the presence of the CE marking, which guarantees that the product complies with the requirements, he says, a Yoda in his hands. For a plush, this means that it has successfully passed several tests: tearing, flammability, and chemical risk. In case of doubt during an inspection, the inspector can leave with a toy under seal to have it retake these tests. It won’t be for today.
In the midst of parents who fill their shopping carts, Jean-Yves now unpacks a small character who speaks. “Since 2018, we have also been very careful about the dangers of button batteries, and their possible ingestion by children, explains the investigator. The battery compartment must therefore be screwed tight so that it is not accessible. In terms of safety, blowguns are also particularly scrutinized. “There has to be a thinner end to blow through, so the ball can’t be sucked in,” he continues. To identify these choking hazards, Jean-Yves always carries a strange little tube with him, the width of a 3-year-old child’s throat.
At the national level, around 22% of the festive products checked show non-compliance, according to the figures recent years. “The penalties can range from a warning to an administrative fine,” warns Juan Miguel Santiago, deputy director of the DDPP. At the end of the operation on Thursday, for which the director of the hypermarket had been warned in advance, not much to report. Aside from a few labels to revise, the end-of-year celebrations should go off without a hitch.