Foreign trade electronic Product quality control AQL standard sampling Functional test

Package testing is mandated by regulations for some products such as; food, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, dangerous goods, etc. This may cover both the design qualification, periodic retesting, and control of the packaging processes. For unregulated products, testing may be required by a contract or governing specification. However, for most consumer goods, package testing is often a business decision involving risk management for factors such as:

• cost of packaging
• cost of package testing
• value of package contents
• value of good will in your market
• product liability exposure
• other potential costs of inadequate packaging

YONGSHUN staff would be happy to assess your specific product and packaging requirements to help you determine whether package testing can improve your quality deliverables.

Prop 65 is the 1986 voter-approved Safe Drinking Water & Toxic Enforcement Act that includes a list of Chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and/or reproductive toxicity. If a product contains a listed chemical, then the product must contain a “clear and reasonable” warning label informing consumers of the presence of the chemical and stating the chemical is known to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm.

Although companies with fewer than 10 employees are exempt, if they sell a violative product to a retailer with more than 10 employees, the retailer could receive a notice of violation. In these circumstances, retailers usually rely on clauses within their contacts with importers that require the importer take responsibility for the violation.

A plaintiff may seek injunctive relief requiring a company caught selling a violative product to suspend sales, conduct a recall, or reformulate the product. Plaintiffs can also obtain penalties of up to $2,500 per violation per day. A more general California statute allows most successful plaintiffs to recover their attorneys’ fees as well.

Many are now choosing to rely on 3rd party testing companies to verify that hazardous substances are not being used in their products.

The type of quality control inspection you need largely depends on the quality goals you are trying to achieve, the relative importance of quality as it relates to your market, and whether there are any current production issues that need to be resolved.

We invite you to explore all the inspection types we provide by clicking here.  

Or, you can contact us, and our staff can work with you to determine your exact requirements, and propose a custom solution to best meet your needs.

AQL is the acronym for Acceptable Quality Limit (or Level). This represents a statistical measurement of the maximum number and range of defects that is considered acceptable during a random sampling inspection of your goods. If the AQL is not achieved for a particular sampling of goods, you may accept shipment of the goods ‘as is’, demand a rework of the goods, renegotiate with you supplier, refuse the shipment, or choose another recourse based on your supplier agreement.  

Defects found during a standard random inspection are sometimes classified into three levels: critical, major and minor. Critical defects are those that render the product unsafe or hazardous for the end user or that contravene mandatory regulations. Major defects can result in the product’s failure, reducing its marketability, usability or salability. Lastly, minor defects do not affect the product’s marketability or usability, but represent workmanship defects that make the product fall short of defined quality standards. Different companies maintain different interpretations of each defect type. Our staff can work with you to determine the AQL standard that meets your requirements according to the level of risk you are willing to assume. This becomes the primary reference during a pre-shipment inspection.

It is important to note; the AQL inspection is only a report on the findings at the time of the inspection. YONGSHUN, like all 3rd party QC companies, does not have the authority to make a decision as to whether your goods can be shipped. That is a decision only you can make in consultation with your supplier after reviewing the inspection report.