France forced to recall faulty condoms after manufacturing fears

France’s consumer protection watchdog has been forced to recall more lines of condoms after discovering severe manufacturing defects.Hundreds of thousands of condoms are set to be recalled after a faulty manufacturing process put them at risk of bursting and ripping.The agency announced on Friday that sales and imports of all condom brands manufactured using the faulty process have been suspended for a year. "The investigation concluded that the production process used by the range of ultra-thin condoms risks fluctuating the thickness and the quality of the latex," the anti-fraud agency stated, adding that users face an increased risk of sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy.The French government retains the option to renew the sales and import suspension if necessary.It is the second time in months that France has been forced to recall condoms (stock image) (AFP/Getty)It was not immediately clear how many individual condoms were affected by Friday's latest recall. However, French health and anti-fraud agencies had previously recalled approximately 260,000 condoms for the exact same reason in August.Condoms sold in pharmacies and shops were recalled after lab tests revealed two products carried a risk of bursting or had perforations in their material.Anti-fraud agency DGCCRF, and health agency DGS, also found 30 condom lines listed on online marketplaces that lacked the EU conformity seal or labelling in French.Of those 30 lines, around 1,000 boxes containing more than 40,000 condoms had already been sold.Two of the condom lines were made by Japanese company Okamoto Industries, while others were manufactured by French brands My Lubie and Friday Bae.The online platforms agreed to take down the listings for the faulty lines, and My Lubie CEO Pierre Lagache said the recall had only involved one batch that tested negatively, although follow-up tests on the same batch showed conformity."We are talking about a medical device: at the slightest doubt, we pull it from the market without waiting," he said at the time."My Lubie recalled this batch on its own initiative, as a precaution, even though the manufacturer's own analyses found no non-compliance. A single batch is affected, no other product in our range, and to date no harm has been reported to us."The French agencies told consumers at the time who may have used the recalled condoms to go through screening for any sexually transmitted infection, and to test for pregnancy in the case of missed periods.