The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has released a new product safety standard which is free of charge to businesses.

The standard, NZS ISO 10377:2017 Consumer Product Safety - Guidelines for Suppliers, guides businesses on how to ensure every stage of the product lifecycle - from product design, manufacturing and distribution to the shop shelf - has been enacted safely and is traceable.

MBIE's Trading Standards section and Standards New Zealand are providing the standard free of charge to encourage uptake.

“The standard is particularly ideal for New Zealand’s small-to-medium sized businesses who might have limited resources and time, but still want to ensure their product-to-market processes are protecting consumers and their business," Trading Standards Team Leader Martin Rushton says.

"It’s been tailored for New Zealand businesses and is compatible with mandatory standards that exist for specific products."