Health protection foods are becoming increasingly popular in modern life thanks to their role in supplementing nutrition and supporting health improvement.
However, the reality of false advertising and exaggeration of the effects of these products is becoming a burning issue, causing serious misunderstandings for consumers. In response to this situation, the Ministry of Health has issued many warnings and requested localities to strengthen inspection and post-inspection to protect the people.
According to the Department of Food Safety under the Ministry of Health , health protection foods are products used to supplement the daily diet to maintain, enhance or improve the physiological functions of the body, while helping to reduce the risk of disease.
However, these products do not have the effect of treating diseases and cannot replace medicine. In case of illness, people need to go to a medical facility to be examined and treated according to the instructions of a specialist.
Despite clear regulations, many businesses still take advantage of consumers' desire for quick, definitive cures to advertise falsely.
Some products are introduced with words such as "completely cures the disease", "effective after a few days of use", "family remedy", "100% natural herbs", "tested by the Ministry of Health", accompanied by images of doctors and medical staff wearing white coats to increase credibility. In particular, these advertisements often omit the mandatory warning line: "This product is not a medicine and does not have the effect of replacing medicine to treat diseases".
The Food Safety Department affirmed that this is a serious violation of advertising regulations, causing confusion between health protection foods and treatment drugs.
This not only destroys consumer confidence but also poses a potential health threat, especially for patients who use the product on their own and ignore formal medical treatment.
In addition to the risk of misunderstanding about the uses, some products also pose a potential safety risk if they are counterfeit, fake or of unknown origin. Using products that have not been thoroughly tested can cause irritation, poisoning or long-term effects on the user's health.
Faced with this situation, the Ministry of Health has requested the Departments of Health and Food Safety Sub-Departments of provinces and centrally-run cities to strengthen inspection and post-inspection of establishments producing, trading and advertising health protection foods. Products without valid documents, false advertising, or using images of doctors or celebrities to promote false information will be strictly handled according to the law.
The Food Safety Department also recommends that people should carefully check product labels before use. The product label or secondary label (for imported goods) must have complete information such as: product name, ingredients, quantity, instructions for use, date of manufacture, expiry date, uses, users, instructions for use, and warnings about risks if any.
In particular, the phrase “Health protection food” and “This product is not a medicine and does not have the effect of replacing medicine” must be clearly stated. In addition, there must be a product declaration registration receipt number and an advertising content confirmation number (if any), along with the name and address of the unit responsible for the product.
People can proactively look up information on licensed products at the official electronic information portals of the Ministry of Health such as: https://vfa.gov.vn, https://dichvucong.moh.gov.vn, or https://congkhaiyte.moh.gov.vn.
Health protection foods are supporting products, not “miracle drugs” as many advertisements lead. If used properly, under the guidance of a doctor or nutritionist, they can help improve health and effectively support disease prevention. However, using them for the wrong purpose or believing in unfounded advertisements can cause unfortunate consequences.
To protect the health of themselves and their families, each consumer needs to raise awareness, equip themselves with basic knowledge about health protection foods and choose products intelligently and responsibly.
The vigilance and initiative of the people, along with the strong participation of management agencies, will be an important "shield" to help prevent profiteering and violations in the current health food sector.
Source: https://baodautu.vn/bo-y-te-canh-bao-can-trong-voi-quang-cao-sai-su-that-ve-thuc-pham-bao-ve-suc-khoe-d269281.html
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