Would You Know How To Spot A Counterfeit Item?

“Buyer beware.”

That’s the message Health Minister Tony Clement had for consumers Wednesday after reports of contaminated counterfeit toothpaste tubes surfaced in Guelph. 

The problem was revealed when a customer noticed that a tube of Colgate toothpaste bought in a dollar store had no French labelling.  It also contained spelling errors and was labelled as being manufactured in South Africa.

Since then, a man has come forward saying he brushed his teeth with a tube of the suspect paste and was ill for two days afterwards.

There have also been reports of harmful counterfeit toothpaste in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

Clement admitted it’s difficult for the system to weed out all phony products.

“Can it catch everything? Obviously not, because that is why we are faced with this situation. We are going to continue to monitor and continue to enforce.”

“We do have inspectors and investigators who are on the scene and who are busy analyzing the product to see whether there is any kind of health hazard.”

“We will do everything that we can do, and any government should do, but also, people should take care,” he said. “The fact of the matter is we get what we pay for.”

Here’s some of the things you should look out for when trying to separate genuine article from genuine rip-off.

Canadian Standards Association (CSA) International suggests you look for:

1. Significantly lower pricing: if it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Compare pricing of similar products, as well as warranty and standard trademarks.
   
2. Cheap production: check the “look and feel” of goods. Fakes are often light and too flimsy.
   
3. Look for the mark: a system of standards has been put in place to test and certify products. Avoid electrical, mechanical, plumbing, gas or other standardized products if a certification mark from a recognized certification organization, such as CSA International, is missing.
   
4. Poor spelling: look for misspellings and unclear printing on packaging, products, labels, or instructions.
   
5. Inferior packaging: counterfeit packaging often has poor design or shows only partial illustrations.
   
6. Missing items: check for a discrepancy between the contents of the package and the item’s description on the outside of the package, as well as for missing product information.
   
7. Trust no one: Even reputable retailers are subject to counterfeit goods. Take it upon yourself to ensure that you purchase a standardized product, every time.
   
8. Give with a conscience: before wrapping a gift for your special someone, make sure it displays any applicable certification marks. Also check for hazards such as loose parts or poor construction.
 
9. Check with the experts: Confirm certification of a product bearing the CSA International certification mark by comparing the product’s identification against the certification record at http://directories.csa-international.org/.

To report a suspected counterfeit product or for more information about identifying counterfeit products, visit http://www.csa-international.org/ or call CSA Group’s Anti-counterfeiting Team at 416-747-4278.