The EU Commission requested that the new version of EN71-1 includes requirements for toy microwavable warmers with a view to this replacing the current Notified Body Protocol as the only standard / reference for these items.
At the last meeting of the committee responsible for drafting the amendments to EN71-1, the proposed requirements were removed from the draft for two reasons:
- It was felt that these products might not comply with touch surface temperature requirements of other standards and guides.
- Some microwave standards require a warning that no items other than food should be heated – this causes a technical issue with standards rules.
We are yet to hear what the consequences are of this decision for the Notified Body Protocol for microwavable warmers, and we wait to see what the Commission will now do about these products.
As we don’t know what steps the Commission will take next we cannot advise on individual products but it is considered that these types of products may be at risk of being disallowed as toys and members should be aware of this. When more details are available we will send more information.
