Authorities have cracked down on businesses that exaggerated or falsely advertised the ingredient content of black goat extract products, which have recently grown in popularity as health foods.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced that it has caught 15 manufacturers of black goat extract products violating food safety laws, requested local governments to take administrative action, and referred them to investigative agencies.

The law-breaking products manufactured and sold by these companies totaled 58,183 units, with sales amounting to approximately 3.63 billion KRW.

The major violations included false labeling and advertising of black goat content, failure to indicate black goat content, and falsifying or failing to maintain records regarding the receiving, shipping, and usage of ingredients such as black goats.

Twelve of the violating businesses, accounting for 80%, exaggerated the black goat content on their labels or in advertisements compared to the actual amounts.

One company located in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, labeled a product containing 14.1% black goat as "82% black goat," while a company in Jecheon, Chungcheongbuk-do, marked its product as "87% black goat" despite the actual content being 21.6%.

Additionally, a company in Geochang, Gyeongsangnam-do, only stated "81% black goat extract" without specifying the actual black goat content.

The Ministry explained that the actual black goat content in this product was a mere 1%, with the rest consisting of water.

(Photo courtesy of Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Yonhap News)