Companies Deceiving by Selling Ineffective Infusion Tea Claiming "Boosts Breast Milk"... Where Are These Companies?

[Photo by Ministry of Food and Drug Safety]

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 26th that it has identified companies that falsely advertised infusion tea as being effective for increasing breast milk and weaning in postpartum mothers and has taken administrative and legal actions against them. Infusion tea refers to tea made by soaking leaves, stems, or fruits of plants in water, but its effectiveness in promoting breast milk production has not been medically proven.

According to the Ministry, from the 22nd of last month to the 13th of this month, they conducted focused inspections on 15 manufacturers and sellers of infusion tea recommended to postpartum mothers in mom cafes and other platforms to prevent the spread of false advertising related to breastfeeding. A total of seven companies were found to be in violation, including four that engaged in false advertising and three that violated facility standards.

The four companies that falsely advertised infusion tea claimed from June 2020 to recently that their infusion tea products and main ingredients (such as dandelion) were effective in increasing or decreasing breast milk and improving mastitis in postpartum mothers. These companies sold a total of 61,892 boxes (each box containing 20 to 30 tea bags) of infusion tea through online shopping malls, postpartum care centers, and maternity massage shops, amounting to approximately 2.1 billion KRW in sales.

The Ministry disclosed the names of these companies as 'Jusikhoesa Moyusa' (telemarketing company, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi Province), 'Human & Human Co., Ltd.' (food manufacturing and processing, Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi Province), 'Babiz Korea Co., Ltd.' (distribution specialized sales, Geumcheon-gu, Seoul), and 'Korea Breastfeeding Information Center' (telemarketing company, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi Province).

Some of these companies recruited free trial groups targeting postpartum mothers through mom cafes and encouraged them to post consumption reviews on Instagram, blogs, and community cafes to promote their products.

Additionally, the Ministry inspected the hygiene management status of the infusion tea manufacturers and found that two companies violated facility standards due to issues such as damaged workshop doors allowing pests to enter, and one company failed to conduct health examinations.

The Ministry emphasized that anyone who witnesses illegal acts related to food safety or suspects defective food products should actively report them through the fraudulent and substandard food reporting hotline at 1399.

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