Due to the growing interest in the ketogenic diet, there are a lot of unfair advertisements to take advantage of, so be careful.

The Department of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has investigated 360 cases of violations of the Advertising Label and Food Advertising Act as a result of extensive inspection of online publications advertising generic foods as “keto diet”. Second, he was caught and asked to withhold publication and take administrative action.

The ketogenic diet refers to an “extremely low-carb diet” used in the medical world to treat neurological conditions such as epilepsy in children that cannot be treated with drugs.

This examination was undertaken to prevent harm to consumers due to the increase in unfair advertisements randomly using the term “ketogenic” in general foods with the growing interest in diet foods.

The inspection target is 364 spots in open market and public shopping malls marked and advertised as “ketogenic” for instant foods (eg lunch boxes), bread, and food oils and fats.

As a result, 360 advertisements were discovered including unfair advertisements, and the main violations were consumer deception 227 cases (63.0%) health functional misunderstanding/confusion 95 cases (26.4%) ▲ Declaration of disease prevention/treatment efficacy 37 cases (10.3) %) ▲ one lie or exaggeration (0.3%).

If the consumer is deceived, they are caught by identifying manufacturing methods that are not approved in the fields of food science and nutrition, such as the “ketogenic diet” and the “ketogenic lunch box”. In addition, the use of terms such as “low carbs” and “net carbs” with unclear definitions, types (scope) and insufficient scientific and objective basis has been found to be used to mislead and confuse consumers as if they were superior to others. products.

In addition, there has been concern about advertising of generic foods as “diet” and “weight loss” to make them recognized as functional health foods, or the perception that they were effective in preventing and treating diseases such as “diabetes snacks” and “prevention” of cancer.” In addition, unfair advertisements expressing the function, functioning, effect and efficacy of body tissues as “detox” were also revealed.

“The impact of the keto diet on the general public has not yet been approved,” said a private ad verification team made up of physicians, pharmacists, food and nutrition professors and consumer group experts. “Headache, fatigue, dehydration, dizziness and nutritional imbalance may have side effects such as physical deformities resulting from this, so be wary of false and exaggerated advertisements.”