Numerous online postings promoting foods that illegally claim to aid in height growth have been detected.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 5th that it conducted a focused inspection of online postings related to height growth products from the 14th to the 21st of last month, detecting 221 violations and requesting access blocking and administrative actions.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety inspected 200 advertisements and sales postings for foods and health functional foods claiming to be related to height growth and found 116 of them to be unfair advertising. It also confirmed 105 illegal postings selling drugs, including growth hormone preparations.
Postings misleadingly advertising general foods as health functional foods, such as 'height growth nutritional supplements,' 'aiding height growth,' and 'methods to grow taller,' accounted for 99 cases, making up 85.3% of the total detections. There were 10 cases of false or exaggerated advertising claiming the 'height growth' functionality not recognized by the Ministry, representing 8.6%, and 5 cases of ads misleadingly labeled as 'height growth medicine,' accounting for 4.3%. Additionally, one case each was detected for advertising that implied efficacy for diseases such as precocious puberty or deceived consumers with testimonials.
Postings selling drugs prohibited for online sale under current law were primarily detected on second-hand trading platforms. Such platforms accounted for 73 cases, or 69.5% of the total, while social media (SNS) accounted for 14 cases, or 13.3%. Following were 8 cases from online cafes, 7 from open markets, 2 from blogs, and 1 from general shopping malls.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety urged consumers to always check for the 'health functional food certification mark' and the functional contents when purchasing foods online. Drugs must be purchased through hospitals or pharmacies, and individuals are advised to take them under the prescription and guidance of a physician or pharmacist.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety stated, 'We will continue to monitor unfair advertising and illegal activities related to foods and drugs that have high public interest to prevent consumer harm.'