MFDS: "Some Krill Oil Products Labeled 100% Contain Mixed Oils"

Joint Investigation of Krill Oil Products by Korea Consumer Agency... "Not a Health Functional Food"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Korea Consumer Agency announced on the 20th that, as a result of a joint investigation into the quality, safety, and labeling status of 26 products labeled as 100% Krill Oil, it was confirmed that other oils were mixed in 4 Krill Oil products.

The investigation targets included a total of 26 products (with 2 products overlapping), consisting of the top 20 products based on Naver Shopping rankings as of January this year and the top 8 products as of last month.

In particular, it was confirmed that 4 products advertised as using 100% Krill Oil raw materials contained other oils mixed in addition to Krill Oil, and all these products were found to use Krill Oil raw materials from the same overseas manufacturer.

These products showed linoleic acid, a fatty acid abundantly found in vegetable oils such as soybean oil, detected at 27% or higher (standard 0~3%), indicating the mixing of other oils.

The Korea Consumer Agency recommended that sellers of products mixed with other oils offer exchanges or refunds.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety plans to take administrative actions against the manufacturers and sellers of these products for false or exaggerated labeling and advertising, and against importers for false raw material reporting.

Krill Oil products are classified as general foods since none have been recognized as health functional foods by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety; however, some products use labeling and advertising that may mislead consumers into thinking they are health functional foods, leading the Korea Consumer Agency to issue corrective recommendations to 11 companies last year.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety plans to establish testing methods, standards, and specifications to prevent consumer damage and verify the raw material components and content of various Krill Oil products.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.