Nearly 40,000 "non-compliant" condoms sold in France: authorities urge testing

They are meant to protect, but some condoms sold in France may not comply with regulations. France's consumer affairs and fraud watchdog (DGCCRF) and the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) issued a warning on Friday 21 August about several products, some of which nevertheless bear the European conformity (CE) marking.

Around a thousand boxes, or "more than 40,000" condoms, were sold online, "mostly" by "Asian" distributors, the authorities said. The products concerned may also have been sold in shops and pharmacies.

Four brands targeted by the authorities

The Rappel Conso recall website has drawn up a list of the brands involved: Friday Bae (Le Préservatif), Okamoto (003 and 002), Sagami (Sagami Original 002, sold on Amazon), and My Lubie, whose products are sold on Amazon, in pharmacies and by various retailers, including Nuoo, Mademoiselle Bio, Monoprix, Ayanature and Passage du Désir.

The products in question do not carry the CE marking and have not undergone any assessment of compliance with European standards. They also, "for the most part, lack packaging in French", the DGCCRF and the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) at the Health Ministry said.

Risk of "bursting" and "perforations"

However, inspections in shops and pharmacies also identified "two products" of condoms that had obtained the CE marking but were nonetheless non-compliant, due to a "risk of bursting" for one and "the presence of perforations" for the other. In total, around "260,000 units" have been subject to "recalls launched in late May and early August", the Health Ministry added.

Non-compliant condoms can "pose serious risks to users' health and safety: sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies".

STI screening and pregnancy test recommended

The authorities advise anyone who has used these condoms to get tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and to take a pregnancy test if their period is late.

Ordered to remove the listings concerned without delay, online platforms have already taken down 36 of them and warned third-party sellers. "Several" have also "undertaken to review their verification systems and filtering rules" for these products, the statement said.

The DGCCRF stresses that the European conformity marking guarantees that manufacturers comply with safety standards. Before buying, consumers should check that it is present, make sure there is an information leaflet in French, and check the expiry date as well as the condition of the packaging.

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