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Journal of Trading Standards, Online Edition - JoTS Online

Welcome to the Journal of Trading Standards online edition, JoTS Online. Browse through our latest Articles - including Analysis, Opinion Pieces, Features and a selection of articles from our acclaimed print journal.

Although many JoTS Online articles are open access (public), others are exclusive to CTSI Members - in which case, you'll need to login to access them. If you aren't a member of CTSI yet, you can join us here. And, if you'd like to contribute articles or suggest topics for us to cover, please email our Editorial Team.

Latest JoTS Online Articles : 

News Category Tags: Crime, Product Safety, Health and Safety, Counterfeit Goods, Retail, Animal Health and Welfare, Legal and Policy, Enforcement Practice, Product Recalls, Property and Housing, Automotive, Vapes, Business, CTSI Conference, CTSI Hero Awards.

 

FCA cracks down on investment scams

Posted: 03 March 2022

UPDATES: FCA data shows investment scam enquiries rose sharply in 2021, with cryptoassets, boiler rooms and recovery room fraud prominent, as the regulator promotes ScamSmart and InvestSmart and steps up action against unauthorised and high-risk firms.
 

CTSI speaks to BEIS Committee

Posted: 01 March 2022

UPDATES: CTSI used a BEIS Committee evidence session on post-pandemic economic growth to highlight consumer rights awareness, the economic role of consumer protection, the value of UKICC and the pressure placed on local trading standards by a decade of cuts.
 

Caution urged on imperial markings

Posted: 25 February 2022

UPDATES: CTSI is urging caution over any return to imperial markings, warning that changes to weights and measures could add business costs, confuse consumers and place further enforcement demands on trading standards services already weakened by long-term budget cuts.
 

Fake face mask trader fined

Posted: 25 February 2022

UPDATES: Ealing Council Trading Standards secured a £15,232 penalty against a Southall company that sold counterfeit branded face masks and non-compliant hand sanitiser during the pandemic, exposing consumers to unsafe products marketed as protective essentials.
 

Obituary: Archie Mitchell

Posted: 22 February 2022

UPDATES: Colleagues remember Archibald Mackenzie Mitchell as a respected Scottish trading standards leader, metrologist and mentor whose five-decade career spanned local government, professional service and lasting friendships across the Institute.
 

Disposable vape products seized

Posted: 22 February 2022

UPDATES: A Scotland-wide trading standards project removed more than 88,000 disposable vaping devices from sale and seized thousands more for breaching legal capacity limits, underlining concerns about youth appeal, product compliance, health risks and environmental harm.
 

Rising costs 'threat to consumers'

Posted: 22 February 2022

UPDATES: CTSI warns that rising energy bills, inflation and post-pandemic pressures could sharply increase consumer vulnerability, creating fertile ground for loan sharks, energy mis-selling and other scams unless the UK strengthens its consumer protection strategy.
 

MSP warns on future of trading standards

Posted: 17 February 2022

UPDATES: CTSI’s Scottish Branch has backed calls for renewed investment in trading standards as staffing levels fall, retirements loom and post-Brexit product safety, pandemic support and market surveillance demands intensify across Scotland.
 

CMA targets online rip-offs

Posted: 14 February 2022

UPDATES: The CMA’s Online Rip-off Tip-off campaign aims to help consumers recognise and report hidden charges, subscription traps, fake reviews and pressure-selling tactics as misleading online practices become harder to spot.
 

Consumer protection must be ‘levelled up’

Posted: 14 February 2022

UPDATES: CTSI is pressing for consumer protection to be central to the UK Government’s post-Brexit regulatory agenda, warning that legislative freedoms must not erode standards or create fresh risks for consumers and businesses.
 

IPO launches new strategy

Posted: 07 February 2022

SPONSORED: The IPO’s five-year counter-infringement strategy sets out a more coordinated approach to IP crime, built around partnership, leadership, education and a 4Ps framework linking Trading Standards, Border Force, police, industry and government.
 

CTSI sings praises of apprenticeships

Posted: 07 February 2022

UPDATES: National Apprenticeship Week gives CTSI a platform to promote Regulatory Compliance Officer apprenticeships as a practical route into trading standards, broadening recruitment, supporting local authorities and aligning early training with professional competency standards.
 

Valentine’s Day scams warning

Posted: 01 February 2022

UPDATES: CTSI is warning Valentine’s Day shoppers and online daters to watch for romance fraud, fake getaways and pop-up gift scams, as pandemic isolation and rising use of dating platforms continue to fuel losses.
 

Consumerism vs. climate catastrophe

Posted: 31 January 2022

OPINION: Consumer protection should defend fairness and confidence without encouraging a culture of endless consumption. A reflection on COP26, buyer remorse and Alastair Campbell’s awkward Watchdog provocation asks where consumer justice ends and consumerism begins.
 

Mail scammers impersonate CTSI

Posted: 26 January 2022

UPDATES: Fraudsters are circulating letters that misuse CTSI branding to promote a bogus compensation scheme, asking recipients to submit personal details through a fake creditors debt form. CTSI warns that the scam has spread beyond England and urges anyone receiving the letter to contact the Financial Conduct Authority.
 

Consumer heroes named in Honours

Posted: 23 January 2022

UPDATES: Consumer protection figures feature in the 2022 New Year Honours, with recognition for a trading standards officer and RNLI volunteer, an accessibility standards champion, Money Saving Expert founder Martin Lewis, and senior Local Government Association leaders.
 

New borders to consumer protection

Posted: 20 January 2022

ANALYSIS: EU Exit has reshaped cross-border consumer protection, from holiday refunds and subscription traps to digital rights, court remedies and enforcement cooperation. With UK consumers losing access to several EU redress routes, the article considers how divergence, litigation barriers and the UK ICC’s advice role may affect confidence in buying from European traders.
 

We must make the case for TS

Posted: 20 January 2022

OPINION: Trading standards remains in demand during crises, yet declining local capacity and rising consumer detriment have weakened the profession’s ability to prove its wider value. The case for investment must link consumer protection to confident markets, SME growth, levelling up and the wider regulatory ecosystem.
 

The energy to fight climate change

Posted: 13 January 2022

ANALYSIS: Net Zero will transform how consumers heat, insulate and power their homes, creating risks around misleading claims, poor installation, smart meters, heat pumps and domestic energy storage. Trading standards has a vital role in ensuring the transition protects consumers, supports reputable businesses and avoids repeating past green scheme failures.
 

Red flags on greenwashing

Posted: 13 January 2022

OPINION: Green claims are becoming more influential, more complex and more open to abuse, from vague sustainability language to outright scams. Trading standards can help businesses comply and consumers choose with confidence, but the Net Zero agenda will require far greater capacity if greenwashing is to be tackled effectively.