Offending suppliers are opening themselves up to serious penalties
FEA
is concerned that some foodservice refrigeration suppliers are not complying
with regulations covering the Energy Labelling Directive. While the Directive is EU legislation, it has
been adopted by the UK following Brexit.
Professional Refrigerated Storage Cabinets (PRSCs) are in the scope of the requirements covered by the
Directive and where they are advertised or displayed on a website, they must
have the energy label shown alongside it.
Showing any pre-2016 (and thus pre-Energy Labelling) product in a way
suggesting it is for sale is illegal.
Under
the regulations, manufacturers must design products that meet the requirements for
MEPS (Minimum Energy Performance Standard), and they must provide an energy
label showing how the product performs in the standard tests. The label shows its performance, with the
best being rated A and the worst G. Meanwhile
dealers have an obligation to display the product’s energy label. The regulations stipulate that, where an
appliance is offered on the internet, the full label must be accessible and
shown with the product wherever displayed.
The
government OPSS (Office for Product Safety and Standards) is the market
surveillance authority and it has the government responsibility to monitor the
market and enforce compliance. “Any
company that displays a relevant pre-2016 product on their website could be
considered guilty of misrepresentation and will fall foul of the regulations,”
warns Steve Hobbs, chair of FEA. “They
should only be showing products that comply with the 2016 Energy Labelling
Directive.”
The
market surveillance authority can demand that manufacturers and importers of
PRSCs show them the product’s Declaration of Conformity, its energy label and
its specification sheet, along with its technical documentation file.
“Refrigeration
suppliers who have images of non-compliant products on their website or in
their showroom or brochures should remove them immediately as this is illegal,”
says Hobbs. “Whether deliberately misleading
their customers or not, they are opening themselves up to serious
penalties.”
The
Foodservice Equipment Association (FEA)is the independent, authoritative voice of the
foodservice equipment industry, representing nearly 200
companies who supply, service and maintain all types of commercial catering
equipment - from utensils to full kitchen schemes. For more
information on FEA visit www.fea.org.uk
C
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Enquiries:
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Publicity Works: 01263 761000; fea@publicityworks.biz
For more news about FEA visit the
press office at www.publicityworks.biz
Keith Warren, FEA: 020 7793 3030
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