RIYADH, 2 September 2004 — Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO) has called on importers of toys and storeowners to ensure that the toys imported and displayed for sale meet safety conditions and conform to Saudi standards.
SASO has already issued a set of standards and safety requirements to ensure that they do not pose any health hazards to children.
“The toys, imported for sale in the local market, must not contain any harmful or radioactive materials,” said a statement released by SASO, which is the standardization body in the Kingdom tasked with formulating national standards for all commodities and products.
SASO also has the mandate to give approval for granting certificates of conformity and quality marks besides formulating standards for metrology, calibration and testing.
Referring to toys that can be harmful, the statement said the toys with sharp edges or openings are banned. SASO has also called on parents to refrain from buying toys that do not suit the age of their children.
Health experts, on the other hand, have called on several occasions for a ban on sales of certain soft toys, used commonly to ease teething difficulties in children. This is mainly because of toxic chemicals known as phthalates released when babies suck toys like teething rings, dummies and rattles.
Certain chemicals, such as phthalates, used in the manufacture of toys have been causing liver, kidney and testicular damage among children.
Parents and caretakers have also been advised not to allow babies to mouth such toys for extended periods for health reasons. SASO has also stressed that “all toys which don’t conform to standards and can harm children, should not be allowed to enter the Kingdom”.
The Kingdom has already banned certain types of toys, which were found harmful for the health of kids. Imports of certain types of metal toys, female dolls and teddy bears have also been banned. The ban also applies to non-Islamic insignias, such as crosses and statues. Despite such restrictions, Saudi Arabia still has a larger number of retail outlets for toys per capita than any other country in the world.
With one of the youngest populations in the world and high emphasis on family and children, toy companies are eyeing Saudi Arabia and the Middle East as a whole for a marketing blitz. The Middle East toy market is estimated to generate $1 billion annually. The average annual amount spent on toys for a single child in the region is said to be $263, a figure that is only second to the spending in North America.
