More than 2,200 stuffed animals had been sent by ship from Indonesia to Germany, where officers of the Hamburg Waltershof Customs Authority noticed their tags with incorrect information about their country of origin. The entire shipment was confiscated immediately. The reason: The “Made in Germany” seal of quality is a claim about the geographical origin of the product that may only be used if the product was actually manufactured in Germany.
In addition to the counterfeited labels, the Hamburg customs officers also noticed that the stuffed animals were of deficient quality, which could potentially lead to compromised product safety. The market surveillance authority quickly confirmed the allegations, categorizing the toys as products that do not conform to Germany’s product safety regulations.
After the fake labels are removed, the stuffed animals are to be sent back to Indonesia for re-labeling and quality control.
