European and British law says that all products sold in this country must be labelled correctly and provide enough information for people to know exactly what they are buying. Product names and labels must not be misleading and certain food labels have to correctly specify weights, expiry dates, ingredients and nutritional content.
Dudley Trading Standards provides expert advice and guidance to businesses on how to comply with the law in relation to product labelling and other trading standards matters. This includes enforcement of the Trade Descriptions Act, Consumer Credit Act, Consumer Protection Act (misleading prices), Prices Acts, Trade Marks Act, Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, Unsolicited Goods and Services Act, Fair Trading Act and others.
Any descriptions of goods and services given by a person acting in the course of a trade or business should be accurate and not misleading. A description can be given:
- verbally
- in writing (e.g. in an advert or brochure or in an invoice or order form)
- by illustration (e.g. in advertisements packaging)
- by implication
Examples of business malpractices that are criminal offences include:
- a motor trader winding back a car’s odometer to show lesser mileage
- a builder falsely claiming to be a member of a trade association
- a roofer falsely stating that certain work had been carried out
- other specific laws exist to prevent estate agents and tour operators from giving false or misleading statements
Report any problems
Please contact the Trading Standards Service to report any problems or to get advice if you have bought misdescribed goods or services.
