269 Cases of False Online Food and Medical Product Advertisements Detected... "Be Careful When Buying Seollal Gifts"

Intensive Inspection by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 17th that it conducted a focused inspection of online food and medical products ahead of the Seollal holiday to prevent consumer damage when purchasing gifts, detecting 269 violations including false and exaggerated advertisements.

First, food and health functional foods accounted for the largest number of violations with 197 cases. Among them, advertisements claiming efficacy for disease prevention and treatment were the most frequent with 105 cases (53.5%), followed by 87 cases (44.1%) of advertisements causing misunderstanding or confusion by presenting general foods as health functional foods, and 3 cases of false or exaggerated advertisements.

False and exaggerated advertisements detected by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Advertisements suggesting effectiveness for hair loss (left) or causing confusion by presenting general foods as health functional foods were identified.
[Photo by Ministry of Food and Drug Safety]

Looking at actual cases, advertisements falsely claimed that general foods and health functional foods had therapeutic effects on diseases such as improving hair loss symptoms, or used expressions that caused misunderstanding or confusion by presenting general foods (mixed beverages) as health functional foods with benefits like 'immunity' or 'fatigue recovery.' There were also instances of displaying false information as if ingredients not contained in the product were used. Food and health functional foods are prohibited from advertising efficacy for disease prevention and treatment.

In the cosmetics inspection, 25 cases of false and exaggerated advertisements were revealed. The main violations were 19 cases (76%) of advertisements causing misunderstanding or confusion by presenting products as pharmaceuticals, and 6 cases (24%) of advertisements with efficacy claims different from the results of functional cosmetics review and reporting. Ads that misled consumers into thinking cosmetics had pharmaceutical effects such as 'skin regeneration' or 'anti-inflammatory,' which exceed the approved efficacy, or ads claiming whitening and wrinkle improvement effects different from those reviewed and reported, were detected.

For medical devices, 5 cases of misleading advertisements were detected, all of which caused misunderstanding by presenting general industrial products as medical devices. Examples included general industrial products being advertised with medical device efficacy claims such as improving blood circulation and relieving menstrual pain. Medical devices should be purchased after confirming whether they are approved, certified, or reported products and used according to their intended purpose.

In the inspection of quasi-drugs such as oral hygiene toothpaste, 42 violation cases were confirmed. All involved advertisements falsely claiming that general toothpaste had efficacy such as whitening or prevention of gum disease. Efficacy claims for prevention of gum and periodontal diseases, tooth whitening, etc., require approval (or reporting) for each product category.

Additionally, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety urged caution when trading food products for holiday gifts in secondhand markets. Foods that are unauthorized, unlabeled, past their expiration date, or with packaging arbitrarily opened should not be sold. Especially for certified health functional foods by the Ministry, only businesses registered for health functional food sales are allowed to sell them.

A Ministry official stated, "We will continue to thoroughly inspect online advertisements for widely consumed products in advance to ensure consumers can safely purchase products without damage, and we will do our best to eradicate illegal online advertisements."

3 Smart Ways to Buy New Year's Gifts Wisely. [Provided by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety]