Susanna Riva As Halloween approaches, the Guardia di Finanza (Financial Police) has intensified checks on shops and warehouses to prevent the sale of products that do not comply with safety and labeling regulations. The goal is to prevent potentially dangerous items from reaching the market and, above all, protect children, the primary consumers of seasonal costumes and decorations.
Joint operations in three Italian regions
Law enforcement coordinated three separate operations, each focusing on different provinces: Pesaro-Urbino, the province of Bari in Puglia, and the Monza and Brianza area in Lombardy. In each area, the checks yielded similar results: thousands of items lacked the required information or CE marking, a clear sign of an untraceable distribution chain.
Pesaro-Urbino: 13.789 items stopped
Teams from Fano and Urbino searched four commercial establishments, seizing 13.789 items including masks, costumes, decorations, and accessories. All the items lacked information about their origin, manufacturer, composition, and warnings, all of which are required by the Consumer Code . The absence of such information makes it impossible to trace the production chain and ensure that no harmful materials were used.
Bari: approximately 7.000 products without marking
In five shops in the towns of Castellana Grotte, Molfetta, Monopoli, Adelfia, and Casamassima, the Italian Finance Police confiscated approximately seven thousand Halloween-themed items and, in one case, household cleaning products. Most of the items were completely lacking informational labels, while more than four thousand keychains featuring stuffed animals, dolls, and teddy bears lacked the CE marking , a mandatory requirement for certifying compliance with European Union safety standards.
Monza-Brianza: 18.000 items and 170.000 additional items from the supplier
At the large warehouse in Legnano examined, the Guardia di Finanza seized over 18.000 decorative items and party accessories, all improperly marked with the CE marking. Through a reconstruction of the supply chain, they identified a supplier in the province of Monza and Brianza responsible for the distribution of an additional 170.000 items, including the first Christmas decorations, which also lacked valid certification.
Violations found and reference standards
The main reasons for seizures are the failure to indicate the manufacturer's name , country of origin , and material composition, as well as the lack of CE marking where required. The Consumer Code requires that every product intended for sale contain this information to allow consumers to assess the safety and quality of their purchase.
Sanctions and market impacts
The owners of the affected businesses have been reported to the Chamber of Commerce for disciplinary proceedings, with fines of up to €25.000 . The measures aim to restore fair competition, where honest operators are not disadvantaged compared to those who violate the regulations. The authorities' intervention highlights the importance of a transparent market, especially during periods of high demand like Halloween, when the presence of uncertified products can pose a concrete risk to consumer health.