We are issuing an urgent public warning to anyone who has purchased goods from Panda Mart, a large Cranbourne retail outlet that sells low-cost toys and other items, including homewares, sporting goods and beauty products.
Our inspectors have last night and today seized thousands of products we believe fail to meet mandatory product safety and information standards, including items that could be dangerous.
The items we’ve taken off the shelves include toys and baby rattles containing button batteries that were inadequately secured or labelled. Button batteries pose an extreme risk – they can burn through the oesophagus (swallowing tube) of children who ingest them in just two hours, causing internal burns, severe bleeding or death.
Other products our inspectors have found at the store include items that:
- present an injury hazard, such as projectiles
- present a choking or strangulation hazard
- fail to meet a range of other safety standards, including cosmetics.
We are working with the business to ensure any remaining dangerous goods are removed from sale immediately, continuing to seize items, and conducting further investigations.
Consumer Affairs Victoria Director Nicole Rich said businesses had an obligation to ensure the items they sold met safety standards and did not pose a danger to the public.
'We know many Victorians are looking for bargains when they’re shopping given the cost of living, but they shouldn’t have to worry about picking up dangerous products at the same time, especially ones for babies and kids.
‘We’ve responded quickly to take action and remove these products from the shelves – but it’s up to businesses to understand the law, and not stock them in the first place.’
Consumer Affairs Victoria is continuing to investigate this matter and will take further action where required.
Under the Australian Consumer Law, businesses can be fined up to $50 million, and individuals $2.5 million, for supplying products that do not meet mandatory safety or information standards.
If you:
- have purchased any items from Panda Mart, stop using them immediately and return them to the store for a refund
- are unsure about the safety of a product you have bought or seen for sale, call us on 1300 55 81 81
- suspect a child has swallowed or inserted a button battery, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 for urgent advice. If the child is struggling to breathe, call 000 immediately.
Read our public safety warning: