How to 'trace' the source of health protection foods to avoid counterfeiting

The Food Safety Department ( Ministry of Health ) has continued to warn about the situation of some social networking sites using images and names of medical units, facilities, doctors, pharmacists, and medical staff to advertise health protection food products, causing confusion for users.

Especially the abuse of images of reputable doctors and pharmacists to create trust for consumers.

Image of a leader of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health was inserted into the advertisement

In 2023, the Food Safety Department received a complaint from Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Thi Hong Phuong, former Deputy Director of the Department of Traditional Medicine Management (Ministry of Health), about some social networking sites taking advantage of her image and identity to advertise products that were not registered with the Food Safety Department.

The Food Safety Department noted: "According to current regulations on advertising food, health protection food, medical nutritional food, food for special diets, the content must be registered before advertising; the advertising content must be consistent with the uses and effects of the product as announced in the product declaration."

Advertisements for health protection foods must not use images, equipment, costumes, names, correspondence of medical units, facilities, doctors, pharmacists, medical staff, thank you letters from patients, articles of doctors, pharmacists, and medical staff.

The Food Safety Department warns that, to ensure the health of users, to avoid using products with false advertising about the product's uses, consumers need to know: no functional foods or health protection foods are allowed to state the use of "treating diseases".

Consumers need to read product labels carefully. On health food labels there must be the line: "This food is not a medicine, does not have the effect of replacing medicine"; clearly read the ingredients, effects, subjects, and dosage of the product to use it appropriately and ensure health.

Only choose to buy health food products with the name and address of the responsible trader and product manufacturer clearly stated.

When purchasing or receiving a product, there must be an invoice or order from the seller as proof of the sale of goods between the two parties. In case of illness, people need to go to a medical facility for examination and timely treatment.

The Food Safety Department instructs: Users can look up information related to registration of declarations and advertisements for health protection food products at the addresses: https://nghidinh15.vfa.gov.vn/ and http://xacnhanquangcao.vfa.gov.vn/ before deciding to purchase the product.

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