More than 5,000 inspections by the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA) were carried out on local businesses during July and August.

In total the authority discovered 52 cases of businesses lacking regulatory compliance, a Department of Information statement said Monday.

The authority carries out regular inspections around Malta and Gozo to ensure the protection of the regulations related to the consumers. Apart from inspections, the MCCAA also checks price indication and product safety.

During July and August, over 3,000 price indication inspections were carried out in various establishments. Of these, a little over 250 inspections were carried out in Gozo. 19 establishments were not found in compliance with the established regulations. Acting on these deficiencies, the authority issued a warning to these establishments, with 15 of them already already taking action, while the other four will be inspected again in the coming days. These inspections are carried out to ensure that consumers are informed of the prices of the products, thus better purchase decisions.

Additionally, during the same months a number of inspections were also carried out on products with the aim of ensuring safety for the consumer. Over 2,000 products were inspected. These inspections were conducted on a variety of products, including toys, elevators, pesticides, chemicals, detergents, cosmetics, appliances, and more. From these inspections it emerged that 33 products were not safe for consumers and as a consequence they were removed from the market.

The MCCAA urges commercial operators to ensure that the products placed on the market comply with the safety regulations applicable in Europe, and that all the products for sale have the right price clearly indicated.

Complaints or reports of deficiencies can be made on the freephone 80074400 or by filling in the online form at https://mccaa.org.mt/home/infringement.

For more information about the MCCAA one can visit the website www.mccaa.org.mt.