Toy labels soon to be in Arabic

Toy traders and importers will soon be told to ensure all the warning labels on their goods contain an Arabic translation under a ruling from the General Municipalities Secretariat (GMS).

Officials called on all local government bodies to force traders to comply. Engineer Sultan Al Seweedi, head of the Public Safety Unit, said that the GMS has distributed sample notes in Arabic and English containing warning phrases.

He said it was important for businesses to adhere to the new law because many warning labels were being ignored as they were not understood by buyers.

And in addition to the warning notes the information on any toy must carry the name of the country where it was produced, the age range for which the toy is suitable and any other important information – all in Arabic.