Introduction
In the period 02.03.2026 - 08.03.2026 the Polish supervisory authorities published 7 alerts concerning the safety of products available on the national market. This week the recalled products include medicines used in children and adults, toys, sports equipment and a dangerous accessory for brush cutters. Some of them were classified as posing a critical risk to health, including a toy that may contain trace amounts of asbestos and a cutting tool that can cause severe mechanical injuries.
According to communications from the Chief Pharmaceutical Inspectorate (GIF) and information published by the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK), the recalled products were also notified to the EU Safety Gate system. Although in this period GIS food alerts did not directly concern food, the entire early warning framework – including GIS alerts and regulations on food safety – has one goal: to remove from the market, as quickly as possible, any products that may harm consumers.
In this weekly report we present all recalled products, explain their potential health impacts and outline how to act safely if any of these items are already at home. Check the list and verify whether any of the products described here are present in your medicine cabinet, your child's room or your home gym.
At a glance: list of recalled products
| Product | Store | Hazard | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mounting for brush cutter blade HZ | no data | Chain fastenings may break, severe injuries | Critical |
| Doll – soft toy 30 cm | no data | Accessible filling, choking risk | High |
| Reparil Gel N | no data | Out-of-spec aescin content | Medium |
| Kidofen 125 mg suppositories | no data | Exceeded impurity limit | High |
| CORENGTH BENCH 500 FOLD training bench | Decathlon | Unstable construction, fall risk | High |
| Stretchy Figure HTI Toys Stretcherz | Auchan | Possible traces of asbestos inside | Critical |
| Veriflo (25 mcg + 50 mcg)/dose | no data | Non-uniform inhaled dose | Medium |
As reported by UOKiK and GIF, all of the above recalled products should be withdrawn from sale, and consumers are entitled to return them. It is particularly important to check toys kept in children's rooms and medicines stored in the home medicine cabinet.
Most significant recalls of the week
Mounting for brush cutter blade HZ
Hazard: Screws or rivets fastening the chains to the blade may break, causing the chains to detach during use and strike the user, leading to serious bodily injuries. Potential effects: mechanical injuries and severe trauma, including fractures, eye damage or deep cuts.
Store: no data | EAN: no data | Manufacturer: HZ
Stretchy Figure HTI Toys Stretcherz
Hazard: Tests showed that the sand-like material inside some products may contain trace amounts of asbestos. Potential effects: exposure to asbestos fibres and an increased risk of respiratory diseases, including asbestosis and certain cancers after long latency periods.
Store: Auchan | EAN: 3665257730918 | Manufacturer: HTI Toys
Doll – soft toy 30 cm
Hazard: The fibrous filling material of the toy is easily accessible. A small child may put it in the mouth and choke. Potential effects: choking, sudden respiratory arrest and the need for immediate medical intervention.
Store: no data | EAN: 5901811164156 | Manufacturer: no data
CORENGTH BENCH 500 FOLD training bench
Hazard: The product does not meet general product safety requirements due to instability of the bench during exercises, which can cause the user to lose balance and fall. Potential effects: falls and bodily injuries, including trauma to the spine, joints or head.
Store: Decathlon | EAN: no data | Manufacturer: Decathlon Sp. z o.o.
Health risk analysis
This week's recalled products cover several distinct categories of health risks. The brush cutter blade mounting with detachable chains represents a typical mechanical hazard: chains moving at high speed can strike the user or bystanders, causing fractures, head trauma, eye injuries or deep lacerations. Such incidents frequently require emergency medical care.
The two recalled toys – the stretchy figure with potential asbestos and the soft doll with accessible filling – pose different types of danger. Asbestos is classified as a carcinogen, and inhaled fibres can, after many years, lead to serious lung diseases, including mesothelioma. Although the risk from a single exposure is hard to quantify, the precautionary principle applied by regulators means any avoidable exposure is considered unacceptable, especially for children. In turn, the accessible fibrous filling of the doll may be put into the mouth by a small child and cause choking within seconds.
According to GIF, the medicines Reparil Gel N, Kidofen 125 mg and Veriflo were recalled due to quality non-compliance. For Reparil Gel N, an out-of-specification result for aescin content was found, which can lead to reduced treatment efficacy or an increased risk of adverse effects if used long term. Kidofen, an ibuprofen-based pain and fever medicine for children, exceeded the acceptable level for single impurity in batch 02AF1024, which may compromise the safety profile of the therapy.
For the inhaled medicine Veriflo, the National Medicines Institute detected an incorrect mean content of fluticasone and salmeterol per dose and a lack of dose uniformity between containers. This may result in insufficient control of asthma or COPD and, in severe cases, an exacerbation of symptoms, asthma attacks and a need for hospitalisation.
Stores affected by the recalls
This week some of the recalled products were sold through major retail chains. Decathlon announced a recall of the CORENGTH BENCH 500 FOLD training bench sold between 20.09.2021 and 03.03.2026. Auchan is withdrawing all batches of the stretchy figure HTI Toys Stretcherz. The remaining recalled products – including the medicines Kidofen, Veriflo and Reparil Gel N and the soft doll – may have been distributed via various pharmacies, brick-and-mortar shops and online retailers.
Consumers who may have purchased these recalled products should immediately check receipts, labels, EAN codes (for example 3665257730918 for the HTI figure and 5901811164156 for the doll) and medicine batch numbers. Shops and pharmacies are obliged to accept returns of recalled products even without a receipt if the customer can credibly prove the purchase.
Advice for consumers
If you own any of the products described, first of all stop using them immediately. For the HTI Toys Stretcherz stretchy figure and the HZ blade mounting, do not allow children or adults to continue using them and do not attempt to cut them open or repair them yourself, as this may increase the risk of exposure to hazardous substances or dangerous parts. Make sure that other people in the household know that these are recalled products.
Recalled medicines – Kidofen, Reparil Gel N and Veriflo – should be stored safely out of children's reach and then returned to a pharmacy. Do not dispose of medicines in household waste or down the drain. If you are unsure whether a particular batch is affected, ask your pharmacist to check the latest GIF communications. If a child or adult has taken any of these medicines and you notice worrying symptoms (for example worsening breathlessness, unusual side effects or lack of expected effect), contact a doctor.
As for the toys, remove them from children's reach without delay. If a child may have swallowed part of the doll's filling and shows symptoms such as breathing difficulties, coughing, bluish skin or loss of consciousness, call emergency services immediately. The same attitude that you apply to food safety – staying informed about official alerts and reacting quickly – should also be extended to non-food products: follow GIS, UOKiK and GIF alerts and treat recalled products seriously.
Regulatory context
The recall procedure in Poland is based on both national and EU legislation. For medicines, recall decisions are taken by the Chief Pharmaceutical Inspectorate under the Pharmaceutical Law and detailed quality guidelines. Toys, sports equipment and other consumer products fall under the remit of UOKiK, which acts on the basis of the General Product Safety framework and relevant EU directives. Information on serious cases is then forwarded to the EU Safety Gate rapid alert system to warn consumers across the European Union.
Food safety is supervised by the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate (GIS), which issues dedicated GIS food alerts for contaminated or mislabelled foodstuffs. Although this week's digest focuses on non-food products, the mechanism is similar: rapid identification of non-compliance, withdrawal of the product from the market, clear information for consumers and monitoring to ensure that recalled products do not re-enter circulation. Consumers are entitled to return unsafe goods, be informed about the risks and expect that authorities will effectively enforce regulations designed to protect their health.