Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Multinational trains customs officers to spot fakes

Updated at 8:05 am on 26 April 2009

The Customs Service is working with the multinational company Procter & Gamble to prevent fake products being smuggled into the country.

In 2008, New Zealand Customs intercepted 5,400 counterfeit products emblazoned with Procter & Gamble insignia.

Products typically include toothpaste, shampoo, conditioners, creams, perfumes, soaps and laundry detergents.

Customs says the fake goods are not produced to the same standards as legitimate products and could contain potentially harmful ingredients.

Customs officers in Auckland will be trained to tell the fake from genuine products using test kits provide by Proctor & Gamble. The Customs Service has signed a confidentiality agreeement with the company over the training.

Proctor & Gamble says Auckland was chosen in the Asia-Pacific region because of the high number of seizures at the port.

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