Filling the gaps in online sales management.

Exploiting social media for direct sales.

In recent days, milk has become a "hot" topic and attracted public attention after nearly 600 brands of counterfeit powdered milk, advertised for people with diabetes, kidney failure, premature babies, and pregnant women, were seized by the police. The nearly 500 billion VND in profits mean a large quantity of counterfeit milk has been released onto the market.

Consumers should choose reputable milk brands and retailers that are highly rated by many consumers.

Notably, the perpetrators used fraudulent tactics, advertising products as "milk" or "medicine," but according to the product declaration and labeling, they were labeled as "Health supplements," "Dietary supplements," "Nutritional formula products," "Foods for special diets," etc.

According to Government Decree No. 15/2018/ND-CP (dated February 2, 2018) detailing the implementation of several articles of the Law on Food Safety, functional foods are divided into four groups: dietary supplements, health-protecting foods, medical nutritional foods, and foods for special diets. In the dietary supplement group, businesses can self-declare their products. This loophole allows counterfeiters to exploit the system, using low-quality milk labeled as "nutritional products," "foods for special diets," etc., to evade regulatory oversight and deceive consumers.

Furthermore, instead of counterfeiting products already on the market, the perpetrators create their own product and company names, mostly with "fictitious" headquarters abroad… and then advertise them as "imported goods." Production facilities are located in remote, isolated areas. Workers are family members or acquaintances, mostly from other localities, living in isolation within the warehouses and factories, with no contact with the surrounding community, making supervision and inspection difficult.

Furthermore, those involved in producing counterfeit milk also establish businesses that comply with the law to conceal their illegal activities. The goods are not distributed through supermarkets, official distributors, or controlled retail chains, but are primarily sold directly to consumers, disguised as professional seminars, hospitals, and clinics; they also hire celebrities to advertise and sell the products directly on social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Zalo.

Closing gaps in management

According to market management authorities, the sale of fraudulent goods through e-commerce and social media remains difficult to control and complex. The Hanoi Market Management Department reports that its forces have recently detected and handled numerous violations related to livestreaming sales. In 2024, out of 5,124 cases inspected, over 600 were related to e-commerce and online sales.

Experts believe that the recent discovery of counterfeit milk production once again raises the issue of controlling online business activities. First, authorities need to continue conducting specialized inspections on e-commerce platforms and social media sites. If necessary, inter-agency inspection teams should be organized, including agencies responsible for food safety management. Along with inspections, authorities should strictly handle violations and widely publicize the information so that the public is aware. In many cases, violations are discovered when consumers proactively check and report them; therefore, mechanisms and tools should be in place to enable consumers to proactively check products and report them immediately to the authorities.

Regarding the fake milk issue, a representative from the Ministry of Industry and Trade stated that, according to Decree No. 15/2018/ND-CP, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is responsible for managing the group of ordinary processed milk products. Milk products fortified with micronutrients, functional foods, or pharmaceuticals with special nutritional components fall under the management authority of the Ministry of Health. Business registration is handled by the Department of Planning and Investment (now the Department of Finance). Thus, the same product is managed by multiple functional agencies.

Regarding regulations on handling commercial fraud, from Government Decree No. 98/2020/ND-CP on administrative penalties to the 2015 Penal Code (amended 2017) and many specialized laws such as the Food Safety Law, the Advertising Law, the Commercial Law, etc., a legal framework has been established. However, the application of these regulations still faces many shortcomings. For example, with many groups of functional foods, businesses only need to submit an application to bring products to market without undergoing independent assessment or testing…

This situation demands closer intervention from the authorities. It's time to consider consolidating, streamlining, and merging processes related to food quality and safety management to create a transparent, accountable, and sufficiently deterrent system.

According to lawyer Nguyen Thi Ngoc Ha, Director of the Legal Department at SBLAW Law Firm, Decree No. 15/2018/ND-CP should be amended to include controlled registration and disclosure for food groups that affect health. In particular, mandatory post-inspection should be implemented instead of only checking when complaints are received; and regulations on the joint liability of social media platforms and e-commerce platforms should be added, as many counterfeit products are openly advertised and sold through social media and e-commerce platforms.

Director of the Department of Domestic Market Management and Development (Ministry of Industry and Trade) Tran Huu Linh: Strengthening supervision of e-commerce activities.

Regarding the recent cases of counterfeit milk and fake medicine that were inspected and discovered, the Department of Domestic Market Management and Development has requested provincial and city market management branches to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the business and production activities of medicines, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, health supplements, medicinal herbs, and traditional medicine ingredients; at the same time, strengthen supervision of e-commerce operations and business models based on digital technology applications; and handle individuals and organizations using social media platforms to trade counterfeit goods, goods of unknown origin, and goods that do not meet quality standards...

Along with the authorities, consumers need to choose reputable addresses and brands that are highly rated by many consumers, especially when shopping online; avoid buying products with unusually bright colors, shapes, smells, or low prices; and carefully check products through the manufacturer's hotline on the packaging, information on the company's website, and hotline numbers.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Chau Anh (Vo Chi Cong Street, Xuan La Ward, Tay Ho District): Consumer habits should change.

Online shopping is incredibly easy and convenient, but it also raises concerns about product quality if regulatory agencies don't implement strict inspection and monitoring measures. For consumers, distinguishing between genuine and counterfeit milk is very difficult if they only look at the packaging. Furthermore, many consumers are accustomed to buying imported or discounted goods, trusting advertisements but paying little attention to invoices or quality certificates.

Following the incident involving hundreds of counterfeit milk products being sold widely on the market, my experience is to download barcode recognition software to my phone so that I can check the product's origin every time I buy something.

I think that, like me, consumers should change their habits, perspectives, and methods of choosing products that meet standards to avoid falling into the "maze" of counterfeit goods.

Ms. Tran Hong Phuong (S02 Oceanpark apartment building, Gia Lam district): Choose to buy products with clear origins.

My family includes both elderly people and young children, so we consume quite a lot of dairy products. Historically, when choosing products, my primary concern has always been the origin, so I usually buy milk from large supermarkets or authorized distributors, avoiding small shops or online retailers.

Imported milk, even if advertised as "authentic," often lacks Vietnamese labels and has not undergone inspection by relevant authorities, making it susceptible to counterfeiting.

In particular, I pay close attention to product packaging, because genuine dairy products usually have sturdy packaging with sharp, clear printing that isn't blurry, smudged, or contains spelling errors. I also use barcode scanning apps like iCheck or Barcode Scanner to verify the origin.

On the product label, the manufacturing date and expiration date must be clearly visible and not erased. Specifically for powdered milk for babies, I carefully check the color of the milk upon opening, because genuine milk will be off-white or pale yellow, have a mild aroma, a subtly sweet taste, dissolve evenly when mixed, and leave no residue.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/lap-lo-hong-quan-ly-ban-hang-truc-tuyen-700585.html