Production and sales of saw palmetto berry extract, widely used as an ingredient in men's health supplements, have recently fallen sharply. It appears to be the result of the government tightening quality control standards.
According to data received by Nam In-soon of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Oct. 20, production of saw palmetto berry extract plunged from 638 tons in 2022 to 196 tons in 2024, while sales fell from 638 tons to 189 tons over the same period.
Saw palmetto is a plant native to the southern United States, including Florida and Georgia, and is known for components that may support men's prostate health. It is not cultivated domestically, so Korea relies entirely on imports for the raw material.
However, after reports that some past India-made products had mixed in cheaper palm oil or coconut oil to raise fatty acid and lauric acid content, quality controversies also arose.
Nam said, "It appears that production and sales declined after the government strengthened quality control standards and the country-of-origin labeling system."
In September 2022 and July 2023, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety revised the Notice on Standards and Specifications for Health Functional Foods in two rounds, newly establishing specifications and test methods for total fatty acids and phytosterols in saw palmetto berry extract.
In February 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, at the request of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, amended the Guidelines for Country-of-Origin Labeling of Agricultural Products to mandate country-of-origin labeling for saw palmetto berry extract.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said it produced and promoted an online card news to inform the public about the functionality of saw palmetto berry extract and precautions when consuming it, and carried out intensive crackdowns on improper advertising on open markets and other platforms.
The ministry added, "After the improvements to standards and specifications related to saw palmetto took effect in January 2024, inspections of 93 imported raw material batches found one case that failed to meet standards."