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.

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Obituary: Bill Cassie MBE

Posted: 13 June 2023

UPDATES: A tribute to Bill Cassie MBE celebrates a distinguished Trading Standards career, his lasting influence on colleagues across the profession and the personal qualities that earned widespread admiration throughout his life.

Obituary: Oswald Barnes

Posted: 12 June 2023

UPDATES: Colleagues, friends and family remember Oswald Barnes, reflecting on a lifetime of service to Trading Standards, his contribution to the profession and the legacy he leaves behind for future generations.

Obituary: Peter Dann Wilson

Posted: 05 June 2023

UPDATES: A tribute to Peter Dann Wilson traces a remarkable life of military service, pioneering consumer protection work and decades of dedication to Trading Standards, celebrating the colleague, mentor and friend remembered by those who worked alongside him.

Calls for change to holiday rules

Posted: 05 June 2023

UPDATES: CTSI is calling for reforms to Linked Travel Arrangements, arguing that promised consumer protections have fallen short and urging Government to close gaps that continue to leave independent holidaymakers exposed.

Govt scraps Animal Welfare Bill

Posted: 26 May 2023

UPDATES: CTSI has criticised the Government's decision to abandon the Kept Animals Bill, warning that important measures to strengthen animal welfare and tackle issues such as puppy smuggling now risk further delay.

Home builders Code review published

Posted: 25 May 2023

UPDATES: An independent review of the Consumer Code for Home Builders has been published, with recommendations aimed at strengthening complaint handling, improving consumer protection and building on the Code's existing dispute resolution framework.

Obituary: David Warren Beard

Posted: 25 May 2023

UPDATES: A tribute to David Warren Beard celebrates a career spanning nearly four decades in trading standards, his expertise across multiple disciplines, his warmth and humour, and the lasting impact he made on colleagues, friends and the profession.

CCAS statement on Code Sponsors

Posted: 24 May 2023

UPDATES: CTSI explains the role of Consumer Codes Approval Scheme sponsors in the new homes sector, reaffirming that multiple approved schemes provide independent consumer protection and that no single scheme has exclusive status.

CTSI helms Consumer APPG

Posted: 23 May 2023

UPDATES: CTSI is supporting a parliamentary inquiry into online marketplaces, examining unsafe products, supply chain risks and gaps in consumer protection legislation as MPs and enforcement bodies consider how regulation should respond.

Family fraudsters jailed

Posted: 16 May 2023

UPDATES: A National Trading Standards investigation has led to lengthy jail sentences for a family who made more than £2 million by tricking consumers into paying for free EHICs through misleading websites and aggressive refund practices.

Govt abandons REUL sunset clause

Posted: 11 May 2023

UPDATES: CTSI welcomes the Government's decision to abandon the Retained EU Law sunset clause, while warning that hundreds of laws still require scrutiny to ensure vital consumer protections are not lost.

FSA launches meat fraud inquiry

Posted: 31 March 2023

UPDATES: The Food Standards Agency has opened an inquiry into reports of large-scale meat fraud, raising fresh questions about supply chain integrity, food authenticity and the systems designed to protect consumers.

KCC fights back against rogues

Posted: 03 March 2023

UPDATES: Kent County Council is urging residents to stay alert to seasonal rogue traders and cold callers while highlighting its Trading Standards Checked scheme as a way to identify reputable local businesses.

Obituary: Norman Frederick Watson

Posted: 22 February 2023

UPDATES: Norman Watson’s career traced the changing shape of Trading Standards, from post-war weights and measures work to early Trade Descriptions Act prosecutions. This obituary remembers a forensic legal mind, generous teacher and private family man whose professionalism left a lasting mark on colleagues in Leeds and West Yorkshire.

Obituary: James Edward Morris

Posted: 22 February 2023

UPDATES: Jim Morris came late to Trading Standards but built a career of quiet distinction, from West Riding weights and measures work to the arrival of electronic rail weighbridges and Trade Descriptions enforcement. Remembered as practical, principled and deeply generous, he helped colleagues, students and people in need throughout his life.

Making regulation work better

Posted: 15 February 2023

ANALYSIS: Professor Chris Hodges argues that regulation works best when it focuses less on outputs and punishment, and more on trust, cooperation and real-world outcomes. Drawing on aviation, finance and Trading Standards, he makes the case for outcome-based cooperative regulation that supports ethical cultures while retaining consequences for serious wrongdoing.

Allergens: a matter of life and death

Posted: 15 February 2023

ANALYSIS: Natasha’s Law has strengthened allergen labelling for pre-packed food, but patchy awareness, supplier changes and limited local authority resources still leave consumers at risk. Through the work of David Pickering, Dilys Harris and the family of Megan Lee, the article shows why allergen compliance is a life-saving duty, not a technical formality.