Episode Five: The Responsible Person Service

 

 

To sell your products in the UK and EU you will require at least a UK or EU address for the more general products, Food Business operator for food and supplement products and Responsible Person for CE/UKCA marked, so having a company in the Region who understands and can support with this is key. ‘Responsible Person’ is used as an umbrella term but essentially covers all the above. If you’re expanding into a new market, one of the biggest challenges lies in proving to consumers that what you are selling is safe to use/consume and is produced with the highest of quality.

 

The Middle Man of Online Business

The role of a responsible person is stepping in as the middleman between the seller and the region they want to sell into. Legislation and overseas trading standards demand that this named individual or third-party organisation takes the responsibility for specific products and/or brands in their target region, so that there is always someone local who can ensure standards and compliance requirements are being met.

All of this translates into a tick in the right box, and a local address which sits on the product label – with different responsible person services required and best suited to different products and product categories.

How do you know which responsible person service you need?

Here at GEE, we offer guidance and advice on securing the right responsible person based on your products – whether it’s relating to food standards, the CE mark, cosmetic compliance, or more.

From there, provided you can prove compliance of your products in line with the local market requirements, the process is straightforward and simply exists to ensure that your brand is always able to present the correct compliance information when required.

What you get in return for your money

As a service, the responsible person offering is there to make sure that if compliance information is requested in any given market, you are able to present what you need when you need it. While their name is attributed to your brand or product, it remains your responsibility as the seller to ensure the product itself is legal in the marketplace.

A core part of the service lies in the audit that a responsible person can provide, as well as insight and guidance on ensuring that the seller is ticking the compliance boxes of different marketplaces and platforms in the target country or location. This audit will include:

• Checking the label for compliance in the target country, ensuring that information is presented in the correct format and that all the necessary details and warnings are communicated.
• Checking any documentation matches the label.
• Adding a UK or EU address, giving the local audience a local HQ for the product or brand.
• Ensuring that the ingredients listed in products are indeed compliant with the local marketplace.

It is then important for that physical site to hold a sample of the product and its compliance records in case of auditing from Trading Standards. So, how do you find a responsible person to provide all of these services?

Finding the right service

Here at GEE, we can act as your responsible person, making sure you achieve optimum compliance. Alongside our compliance services we can guarantee that the launch of your products to the market is seamless and within the legal regulations set out by each member state. Global E-commerce Experts have two 3PL sites in the UK and Netherlands that can facilitate holding businesses goods with ease. We are here to provide an end-to-end solution for eCommerce sellers, and this is a necessary task to complete before launching your product in the EU!

If you found this helpful, make sure to watch the supporting webinar which is available on Youtube, and check back next week to understand what marketplace is the best route for your brand to increase sales and become a category giant!