The Food Safety Department (Ministry of Health) has just warned consumers to be careful with advertisements that inflate the uses of food, especially functional foods.
Currently, on social networking platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, Shopee, there are many functional food advertisements with "magic" promises such as quick weight loss, instant skin beauty or outstanding health improvement. TikToker, KOLs, KOCs and Influencers often appear as product introducers, making many consumers attracted and trusted. Many advertisements use words such as treat diseases, replacement of medicine, immediate effects, causing misunderstandings and leading to misuse.
Signs to recognize false advertising
According to the regulations of the Ministry of Health, functional foods and health protection foods only have supporting effects but do not have the ability to cure diseases. However, many businesses take advantage of consumers' desire to get better quickly to create misunderstanding advertisements. Some easy-to-recognize signs:
Declaration of complete cure: Advertisements like complete recovery after a few days of use are unfounded.
Using the phrase "beauty", the motto: "100% natural traditional medicine", "breakthrough solutions" are popular phrases in false advertising.
Celebrities promote without scientific certification: Many Influencers only receive advertisements without medical expertise, leading to inaccurate information.
The effect of believing in inflated advertisements
Fake advertising not only causes loss of trust but also seriously affects the health of consumers:
Loss of unjust money: Many products are sold at high prices but do not bring the expected efficiency.
Missed opportunities for proper treatment: Some people believe in functional foods, ignore the doctor's treatment regimen, making the condition worse.
Negative health effects: Products of unknown origin may contain banned substances or dangerous ingredients, causing unpredictable side effects.
Consumers need to be alert to attractive advertisements and take the following steps to protect themselves:
Check product information: Check if the product is licensed for circulation.
Don't believe in exaggerated advertisements: No product can bring miraculous results in just a few days.
Consult a health professional: Before using functional foods, consult your doctor to ensure they are suitable for your health.
Choose to buy products from reputable sources: Avoid buying floating goods without clear labels.
Be a smart consumer, don't let yourself get caught up in cosmetic advertisements. Our health cannot be exchanged for promises from a video on TikTok or a post on Facebook.
