This is the so-called "Olleh Shot," a recently trending product made by mixing olive oil and lemon juice.
Online shopping malls selling this product promote that consuming Olleh Shot brings slow aging effects.
Another Olleh Shot product emphasizes that it is rich in antioxidants.
This health functional food, branded as an edible Wegovy, advertises that visceral fat is eliminated simply by consuming it without exercise.
All of these are misleading advertisements that deceive consumers.
Ahead of the summer season when demand for dieting increases, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety conducted a focused inspection on foods promoting diet effects. As a result, 26 businesses violating the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods were caught for methods such as claiming efficacy in disease prevention and treatment or making exaggerated advertisements.
In particular, experts analyze that there are currently zero research results showing that Olleh Shots prevent aging or are effective for dieting.
[Interview / Kim Ji-yeon, Professor of Food Science and Technology, Seoul National University of Science and Technology : Regardless of dieting, it results in consuming additional calories. Saying olive oil is healthy applies when it is consumed as part of a meal instead of other fats; consuming it in the form of an additional supplement has zero health benefits.]
It was investigated that the businesses caught this time sold about 600,000 products worth 11.5 billion won.
[This is the only thing that helps you lose weight from morning until you sleep.]
[Official from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety : How did you end up including such phrases?]
[Business Representative : Just to make it seem like they could lose a lot of weight, so I asked (the video production company) to make it that way...]
Among the businesses, one was found to have generated a total profit of 2 billion won by selling a product with an initial purchase price of 2,000 won for 60,000 won.
[Interview / Baek Nam-i, Head of the Food Fraud Emergency Response Team, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety : Many advertisements utilizing Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, which are not closely monitored and where blocking sites is difficult, were caught. They purchase other people's Instagram and Facebook accounts for a certain amount of money and upload advertisements there. (They sold products in a manner) that links back to the product sales site or their own shopping mall upon purchase.]
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety requested administrative dispositions such as suspension of business from each local government and took legal action by filing complaints against the relevant businesses.
In addition, the ministry urged consumers to exercise caution so as not to be deceived, noting that there are cases where pharmacists recommend products or virtual humans generated by AI advertise ordinary foods as having therapeutic effects.
(Photo courtesy of Ministry of Food and Drug Safety)
Reported by Park Ha-jeong | Video by Kim Se-kyung | Video Editing by Lee Hong-myung | Produced by SBS Digital News
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