‘Public warning’: Thousands of Panda Mart products seized over safety concerns
A week after opening to long customers queues in Melbourne, popular discount store Panda Mart has had thousands of potentially dangerous products such as babies’ rattles stripped from its shelves as they didn’t meet Victoria’s key safety standards.
Inspectors from Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) seized products from the shelves of Panda Mart in Cranbourne on Tuesday night and on Wednesday, saying they posed a risk of injury or death.
Among the products were toys and baby rattles that contained button batteries which weren’t properly secured and labelled. If swallowed by children, these batteries can burn through the oesophagus in under two hours, the regulator said in a “public warning” statement, urging customers who have bought products to return them to the store for a full refund.
Customers queueing to get into Panda Mart’s store. Some items they have bought are deemed unsafe.Credit: Gemma Grant
Other questionable products that CAV’s inspectors found at the store included items that failed to meet a range of other safety standards, including cosmetics, the state’s consumer watchdog said.
The warning comes after the low-cost retailer, tagged as “Temu in real life”, opened its first store in Cranbourne in the city’s south-east last week. It was forced to close its doors early on Saturday after police were called to control crowds of bargain-hungry shoppers who attempted to push past staff into the store. On Monday, there were still queues to enter the store.
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“We know many Victorians are looking for bargains when they’re shopping given the cost of living, but they shouldn’t have to worry about picking up dangerous products at the same time, especially ones for babies and kids,” said CAV director Nicole Rich.
“We’ve responded quickly to take action and remove these products from the shelves – but it’s up to businesses to understand the law, and not stock them in the first place,” Rich said.
Under Australian Consumer Law, businesses can be fined up to $50 million for supplying products that fail to met mandatory safety or information standards. CAV is continuing to investigate the incident.
