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Nine of the ten dietary supplements tested by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority as part of its national campaign have been illegally labeled with claims that appear to be, or have been suggested, to prevent, treat or treat human disease.
As part of the inspection project "Illegal allegations of Norwegian dietary supplements 2020", the Norwegian Food Safety Authority examined 50 dietary supplements sold on the Norwegian market. The results show the widespread use of illegal health and medical claims on Norwegian dietary supplement labels.
Serious violations
– We found many serious ones violations of regulations regarding labeling. None of the tested products meet the regulatory requirements. It is disturbing and unacceptable that companies are not complying with regulations that are supposed to protect consumers, says Are Tømmerberg Sletta, head of department at the Norwegian Food Safety Authority.
Deliberate misrepresentation
All statements used in the marketing of dietary supplements must be correct. They must be documentable and not misleading. This applies to both text, images, symbols and information that appears on the Internet or in other channels in which the dietary supplement is marketed / sold.
Supplements are not drugs
Dietary supplements are not drugs and should not be marketed with claims to alleviate, treat, or prevent disease. It is also not allowed to make statements that refer to the recommendations of certain doctors, medical personnel and the like.
As many as 90 percent of the products included in the project were sold with medical claims. Misuse of health claims ranged from 34 to 96 percent. It is legal to use approved health claims in labeling and marketing as long as it is done in accordance with the laws on claims. It is not allowed to market dietary supplements with medical claims.
Section manager Are Tømmerberg Sletta from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (photo: Norwegian Office for Food Safety).
Cynical and introductory marketing in error
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority controlled the use of medical claims and the illegal use of health claims on product packaging, in marketing on websites, newspapers, weeklies, advertising magazines, television and social media.
Marketing on the Internet, TV, social media and more is constantly evolving and is becoming more and more aggressive and cynical. Marketers often take advantage of people who are in a difficult situation or state of health, says Sletta.
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority supervised only a small part of the dietary supplements market. There is no doubt, however, that the scope of the misleading and illegal marketing of dietary supplements is very large.
Dishonesty
- Unfortunately, there are many dishonest players on the market. The use of illegal practices can give companies a significant competitive advantage unlawfully. It turns out to be very unfair to companies that abide by the regulations, says Sletta.
. The industry must take action
The industry is responsible for ensuring that the products they sell are safe for health and that they are labeled and sold in accordance with regulations. The purpose of the regulations is consumer protection against misleading claims and ensuring the comprehensibility of claims regarding food, including dietary supplements. At the same time, claims rules must prevent marketing from exploiting the characteristics of vulnerable groups.
- The level of competence in the industry is very variable and the impression is that relatively many operate in this market without sufficient competence. It's worrying and unacceptable that companies are not following the rules, says Sletta.
Source: NTB
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