Walmart fined nearly $50,000 for candles shipped to Port of Savannah
Walmart Inc. faces a $49,500 fine after the Environmental Protection Agency determined that labels on imported citronella candles offloaded at the ports of Savannah and Charleston did not include required safety instructions.
The ports were not a target of the investigation or suspected of any wrongdoing in the case.
Citronella has become a familiar feature in backyards, decks and porches for its purported mosquito-repelling power. As their chemical-tinged scent suggests, citronella candles differ from the traditional wax variety.
Federal law classifies citronella oil, which is distilled from a type of lemongrass, as an insecticide subject to strict regulations. That’s why federal law requires labels for products with citronella as an active ingredient to include specific safety instructions.
And that’s where Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, got burned by thousands of mislabeled candles.
According to a consent agreement filed by the EPA Feb. 21, a Walmart contractor filed through U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s automated processing system for the delivery of 21,572 pounds of citronella candles to the Port of Savannah on March 14, 2023.
The candles were under the brand names Mainstays and Better Homes and Gardens.
“Upon review of the product labels for the shipment ... the EPA determined that they did not match the operative EPA-accepted label,” the agreement said.
Specifically, the candles didn’t include proper instructions for how to assist some who ingests citronella, which should read: “Have a person drink a glass of water if able to swallow. Do not induce vomiting unless told to do so by a Poison Control Center or Doctor. Do not give anything by mouth to an unconscious person,” according to the EPA.
The agency also found what it called a “false and misleading” statement on the Better Homes and Garden products that the candle containers “can be reused for a variety of purposes.” That information contradicted another section of the label that said the container should not be reused or refilled, the EPA noted.
Walmart Inc. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Monday, the company’s website listed the Better Homes and Gardens candles as out of stock.
The same issues were discovered at the Port of Charleston, where 61,500 pounds of mislabeled candles were discovered, and the Port of Mobile in Alabama, according to the consent agreement.
Seattle-based Expediters International filed the paperwork for each delivery. The company has offices in Savannah and Charleston.
John Deem covers climate change and the environment in coastal Georgia. He can be reached at jdeem@gannett.com