As the Chuseok holiday approaches, deceptive marketing tactics targeting health-conscious consumers are on the rise. The number of cases involving false and exaggerated advertising of regular food products as effective health supplements has exceeded 7,000 annually, marking a record high.
According to data submitted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to Nam In-soon, a member of the National Assembly from the Democratic Party, the total number of misleading ads that misrepresented regular food as health supplements reached 23,324 over the past five years (from 2022 to July 2026).
The number of ads misleading consumers into thinking regular food is a health supplement has shown a steep upward trend. The number of detected cases rose from 3,864 in 2022 to 4,015 in 2023, and 4,406 in 2024, before skyrocketing to 7,244 in 2025. This represents an 87.47% increase in just three years compared to 2022. By July of this year, 3,795 cases had already been identified.
Examples of detected cases include regular food products being marketed online with hashtags and descriptions such as '#HowToLowerBloodPressure', '#BloodPressureSupplement', '#DrySupplement', '#JointSupplement', '#SkinHealth', '#AntioxidantProduct', and 'nutritional supplements good for the bronchial tubes', all of which are terms reserved for health supplements.
In addition to the misrepresentation of regular food, the issue of misleading advertising for officially certified health supplements is also serious. According to the report on misleading advertising of health supplements, a total of 15,812 cases of such ads were identified during the same period.
By type of violation, advertisements promoting health supplements as effective for 'disease prevention and treatment' accounted for the largest share, with 5,291 cases (33%). This was followed by 4,866 cases (31%) of false and exaggerated advertising, and 2,523 cases (16%) of consumer deception. Other violations included confusion with pharmaceuticals, promotion of gambling mentality, and breaches of self-regulation.
Nam In-soon stated, "Advertising regular food as if it were a health supplement is an illegal act that misleads and deceives consumers. Especially during holidays when the demand for health supplements surges, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety must strengthen enforcement and establish effective preventive measures to prevent consumer harm from false and exaggerated advertising."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.