Recalling many functional foods due to quality violations

Recently, the Department of Food Safety, Ministry of Health issued Decision No. 79/QD-ATTP on recalling a series of food supplements that do not ensure safety for consumers' health.

The recalled products mainly belong to the Man Plus Gold, Cordyceps, and Nam Duong Tea lines. This is a strong move to protect consumer health and comply with strict food safety regulations in Vietnam, especially for supplementary products that support male physiology.

The recall of dietary supplements such as Man Plus Gold, Cordyceps, and Nam Duong Tea is a clear demonstration of the seriousness of the authorities in protecting consumer health.

The Food Safety Department has requested the recall of batches of food supplements that did not ensure safety during the production process, including:

The Food Safety Department has requested to recall the following product batches: Man Plus Gold (Lot number: 040325, Manufacturing date: 03/04/2025, Expiry date: 03/04/2028 - box of 50 tablets; Lot number: 022024, Manufacturing date: 12/02/2024, Expiry date: 12/02/2027 - box of 30 tablets and box of 50 tablets).

The label contains information about the distributor: Bao Ngoc International Pharmaceutical Company Limited, located at 47, Group 9, Yen Duyen, Yen So Ward, Hoang Mai District, Hanoi, manufactured in Vietnam.

Reason for recall: These product batches were manufactured at Hoang Gia Hoa Binh Company Limited, however this company does not have a Certificate of food safety (FS) qualified facility meeting Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements as prescribed.

Man Plus (Lot number: 102025, Manufacturing date: 10/02/2025, Expiry date: 10/02/2028 - box of 60 tablets). Information on the label clearly states: The trader responsible for the quality and distribution of the product is Bao Ngoc International Pharmaceutical Company Limited, manufactured in Vietnam.

Reason for recall: This product belongs to the health food group but does not fully comply with legal regulations related to product declaration as prescribed by law.

Cordyceps (Lot number: 040325, Manufacturing date: 03/04/2025, Expiry date: 03/04/2028 - box of 30 capsules and box of 50 capsules). The product is manufactured at Hoang Gia Hoa Binh Company Limited, located at No. 68, Group 8, Ky Son Ward, Hoa Binh City, Hoa Binh Province. The label reads: "Gifted goods, not for sale, internal circulation goods".

Reason for recall: Hoang Gia Hoa Binh Company Limited sold this batch of products without making a product declaration as required, although the information on the product label stated that this product belongs to the group of health protection foods.

Nam Duong Tea (Lot number: 012025, SCB: 01/BAO NGOC/2024, Manufacturing date: 13/01/2025, Expiry date: 13/01/2027 and Lot number: 012024, SCB: 01/BAO NGOC/2024, Manufacturing date: 12/11/2024, Expiry date: 12/11/2027). The label clearly states: The trader responsible for bringing the product to the market is Bao Ngoc International Pharmaceutical Company Limited, manufactured in Vietnam.

Reason for recall: This product belongs to the health food group but has not completed product declaration according to the provisions of law.

According to Decree No. 15/2018/ND-CP of the Government, the declaration of food supplements before circulation on the market is mandatory.

Manufacturers must provide full information on product quality, raw material origin, manufacturing process and necessary certifications to protect public health. Although these products are recognized as physiological support food supplements, the lack of valid legal documents can be dangerous for consumers.

The Food Safety Department recommends that consumers do not use the recalled product batches. Those who have used these products should monitor their health and immediately notify the authorities if there are any unusual signs.

Consumers are also advised to only purchase products from reputable suppliers with full legal documents and certifications. Purchasing from stores and agents with clear licenses will help minimize the risk of using products of unknown origin or that do not meet food safety standards.

People who purchased recalled products can contact the business directly for instructions on returning the product and to receive any necessary support information.

In addition, consumers can notify authorities or contact medical facilities if they suspect the product is harmful to their health.

The recall of dietary supplements such as Man Plus Gold, Cordyceps, and Nam Duong Tea is a clear demonstration of the seriousness of the authorities in protecting consumer health.

Violations of regulations on product declaration and product quality assurance not only affect public health but also erode consumer confidence in dietary supplements.

The Food Safety Department will continue to step up inspection, supervision and strict handling of violations to protect the legitimate rights of consumers.

To protect public health and maintain transparency, authorities recommend that businesses strictly comply with legal regulations and ensure product quality before putting them on the market.

Only with transparency, full compliance with regulations and strict quality control can consumers feel secure in using health protection products, avoiding unnecessary risks.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Health, from 2021 to present, the food market has more than 84,000 common foods; 54,549 functional food products (29,779 health protection foods, 350 medical nutritional foods, 1,287 foods for special diets; 23,133 food supplements), of which up to 80.4% are domestically produced products of 201 production facilities.

In the context of the food market growing strongly in terms of quantity and variety of products and the emergence of new business forms on e-commerce applications and trading platforms, it is necessary to strengthen post-inspection and more comprehensive control of food quality.

Regarding the management of the functional food market, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan affirmed that the current system of legal documents related to the management of functional foods is quite complete, including regulations from the production stage, registration of declarations and self-declaration, labeling, advertising to the business stage.

Important legal documents in this field include the 2010 Law on Food Safety, Decree No. 15/2018/ND-CP of the Government, Circular 43/2014/TT-BYT of the Ministry of Health, and other legal documents.

Functional foods are classified into four main groups: Food supplements, Health protection foods, Medical nutrition foods and Foods for special diets. Each of these product groups must comply with strict regulations before being put on the market.

Specifically, health protection foods, medical nutritional foods and foods for special diets must register their declaration with the competent state agency, while food supplements only need to self-declare and submit the declaration to the state management agency.

In addition, the Ministry of Health also sets out strict regulations on the production, quality and advertising of functional foods.

Regarding production conditions, health protection foods, whether domestic or imported, must be produced at facilities certified with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) or equivalent. Other products must be produced at facilities certified with food safety conditions.

Regarding quality control, all functional foods circulating on the market must meet the standards issued by the Ministry of Health or the standards of the manufacturer announced to the competent authority. For imported food supplements, the product must be state inspected by state inspection agencies designated by the Ministry of Health.

Regarding advertising, health protection foods, medical nutritional foods and foods for special diets must register and confirm advertising content with the competent authority before advertising.

Although dietary supplements are allowed to self-advertise, the advertising content must be fully consistent with the nature and features of the self-declared product.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/thu-hoi-nhieu-thuc-pham-chuc-nang-do-vi-pham-chat-luong-d255099.html