Consumer protection authorities have withdrawn toys posing a choking hazard from the market – 62% of the toys tested failed customs inspections

The NATCP and the government agencies under its professional supervision pay constant attention to the safety of families, which is why the 2025 testing program also emphasizes the inspection of toys intended for the most vulnerable consumer group, i.e., children, throughout the year. Improperly designed toys can cause suffocation, injury, and in some cases, damage to health, so it is essential that the wide range of products with different functions meet the technical regulations that require compliance with EU standards and the current high level of safety. The aim of the investigation was to remove unsafe children's toys from the market, to detect illegal distribution – with particular regard to the labeling and instructions for use of the toys – and, in the event of a violation, to enforce compliance with the law.

During the 2025 investigation, a total of 79 types of children's toys were sampled, taking into account designs and characteristics that gave rise to suspicion from a product safety perspective. Sixty-six types of toys were sampled from commercial outlets and 13 types of toys were sampled at customs borders. The inspections covered, among other things, plastic dolls and bath toys, rattles, soft toys, and modeling clay kits.

Based on tests carried out by NATCP accredited laboratories, 42 of the 66 types of toys sampled from commercial outlets did not comply with the regulations, meaning that the rejection rate was 64%. Of the 13 types of toys sampled at the customs border, 8 toys (62%) did not meet the requirements during the test, all of which posed a serious risk to young children. None of the children's toys sampled at the customs border complied with the labeling requirements.

Tables containing data on the sampled products can be found on the NATCP website (www.nkfh.gov.hu).

In the case of plastic toys, the most serious problem was that one or more phthalate plasticizers exceeded the permitted limit, posing a serious health risk. In the case of the rattles that were found to be non-compliant, the use of toys with protruding parts poses a choking hazard. In addition, in several cases, plush rattles were tested in which the seams had torn and the fibrous filling material had become exposed through the resulting gaps, which could cause a choking hazard if it came into contact with the infant's palate.

Among the plush toys that proved to be unsuitable, the danger was that pulling the zipper released the stringy filling material, and during mechanical testing, the seams tore, also releasing the filling material. In addition, during normal use of several products, small parts became loose and could end up in a child's mouth, get stuck in the throat and block the airways, posing a risk of suffocation.

Due to the medium, high, and severe risks identified, the competent regional government offices ordered the dangerous toys to be withdrawn from the market and, in cases of severe risk, recalled from consumers, while the toys sampled at the customs border were banned from being placed on the market.

Child protection is one of the key points of the 7-point consumer protection action plan announced last fall, so the NKFH and the government agencies under its professional guidance will continue to do everything in their power in 2026 to protect vulnerable consumers. The increased enforcement at customs borders, which is also part of the 7-point action plan, will help prevent dangerous toys from entering the country and thus prevent them from reaching children.