From the danger of fake milk and fake medicine: Should understand correctly about functional foods

NDO - After the authorities continuously discovered production lines of fake functional foods, fake drugs, fake milk... and some doctors prescribed unnecessary functional foods for patients, consumers gradually became cautious, some even turned their backs on this type of product. In fact, functional foods still have good effects on health if used properly, reasonably and the product meets quality standards.

Losing trust, functional foods are losing purchasing power

The recent counterfeiting of health care products has had a significant impact on consumer sentiment, especially with regard to dietary supplements. In addition to doctors prescribing unnecessary medications, reputable doctors accepting advertisements and exaggerating the benefits of dietary supplements are also gradually losing consumer confidence.

Ms. Minh Ha, owner of a pharmacy on Bach Dang Street, Hoan Kiem District ( Hanoi ), said that recently, the number of customers buying functional foods has decreased significantly. Some regular customers, although having used functional foods for a long time, have now given up. After a series of false advertising incidents, they no longer trust health supplements. It has been noted that the sale of functional foods is in a similar situation at many other pharmacies.

Many types of functional foods have seen a decline in purchasing power. (Photo: Thuy Quynh)

Ms. Pham Thi Minh Khoa in Hoan Kiem District (Hanoi), a patient with bronchitis, after visiting the outpatient department of a large hospital, brought the doctor's prescription to buy medicine at a pharmacy. She asked the seller about the types of medicine prescribed in the prescription and was determined not to buy if there were functional foods. Although the store staff answered that there were only specific medicines, no functional foods, she was still very careful and scrutinized.

A long-standing functional food manufacturing enterprise in Chuong My district (Hanoi) said that although their products are invested in and produced with quality, more or less creating prestige with consumers, the continuous discovery of fake and poor quality products on the market and the problem of advertising with exaggerated effects recently have made the business of functional foods very difficult, and purchasing power has decreased.

Faced with the situation where some doctors, pharmacists and medical staff participated in food advertising, misleading consumers, the Ministry of Health issued Official Dispatch No. 2310/BYT-ATTP on April 17, clearly affirming that this behavior is a violation of the law and requiring affiliated units to urgently rectify and strictly handle it according to their authority.

In addition, the Ministry of Health has also taken strong action by requiring medical facilities to review, inspect, and strictly prohibit doctors from prescribing, consulting, and selling functional foods in hospitals.

Need to understand correctly about functional foods

It is understandable that consumers are losing confidence in functional foods at the present time. However, it is also necessary to have an objective, multi-dimensional view. In fact, functional foods are quite good health care products if used for the right purpose, using quality products, not fake ones.

If we completely turn our backs on and say no to functional foods, it is not necessarily a good thing. According to Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Dang, Chairman of the Vietnam Functional Food Association, former Director of the Department of Food Safety, Ministry of Health, functional foods play a role in supporting treatment, improving health, preventing diseases and are part of the trend of preventive medicine. If properly controlled, functional foods will be a powerful assistant in public health care. However, if left unchecked, this will be a "double-edged sword".

Many doctors and medical experts also agree that the uses and benefits of functional foods cannot be denied. For some diseases, the combination of treatment drugs and functional foods will bring quite high treatment efficiency for patients. However, the problem is that this product must be used at the right time, for the right disease and is really necessary for the patient. Users must clearly understand the uses of each type and use it appropriately for their health to bring benefits.

The issue of controlling counterfeit, fake and poor quality goods will depend largely on the authorities, but consumers also need to be objective and wise in choosing the right products for themselves.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/tu-hiem-hoa-sua-gia-thuoc-gia-nen-hieu-dung-ve-thuc-pham-chuc-nang-post875656.html