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The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (CAFIA) constantly detects further cases of misusing the concerns of the public in relation to the COVID‑19 disease by some sellers of food supplements. CAFIA inspectors currently revealed that some sellers, when offering and advertising food supplements and further foodstuffs, use prohibited medical claims as well as unauthorised health claims, namely by stating alleged effects against coronavirus. Following Internet advertisement on social network Facebook, videos on YouTube and websites where promotion is made using unacceptable claims is concerned:

1. Internet sale on essens.cz and advertising food supplement ESSENS MONOLAURIN on YouTube (video under name: PharmDr. MILAN KRAJÍČEK RECOMMENDS ESSENS MONOLAURIN PREMIUM) use prohibited medical claims: “Provable antibacterial, antimicrobial and in particular antiviral effects.”, “Studies show that monolaurin attacks the protective shell of viruses and causes theirdecomposition.” The inspected person is company: ESSENS NETWORKING s.r.o.

2. Internet sale on greenlion.cz where the inspected person offered, inter alia, food supplement ELIXÍR CRYSTAL 160 g, 400g and 950g using prohibited medical claims: “eliminates Chinese coronaviruses as well”, “This procedure is carried out either as a prevention or as a cure.” “With its effective healing composition, this antiviral method definitely eliminates all upper airways diseases by removing causes of the diseases, which are all viruses and bacteria (eliminates thus Chinese coronaviruses as well and protects for example from hepatitis).” The inspected person is company: INVEST DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, spol. s r.o.

3. Internet sale on ahome.cz and advertisement on Facebook profile AHome, where the inspected person offered, inter alia, bottled wine under name “Korona antivirus”, which is, itself, a prohibited medical claim. The inspected person is company: Hauseli s.r.o.

4. Internet sale on centralnilekarna.cz, where the inspected person offered food supplement under name “Trio of B vitamins fighting the coronavirus”, namely using prohibited medical claims, inter alia,  “When protecting from COVID-19, Trio B is useful in any age. Give it to the seniors you like, in particular.” The inspected person is company: LÉKÁRNA NA NÁMĚSTÍ BEROUN s.r.o.

5. Advertising food supplement InPharm in a video available on YouTube named “How to boost the immunity to fight coronavirus and other virus infections”. Inter alia, following claims are used in the video: “colostrum contains for example Imunoglobulins IgG, which we like as they cause not only against respiratory viruses but also against intestinal viruses and infections” and “great immunity support also against coronavirus infection.” The inspected person is company: EDUKAFARM, s.r.o.

6. Advertisment on website lifefood.cz in article named “Boost your protection against viruses with Lifefood products” and on the company Facebook profile in article “CHLORELLA AGAINST VIRUSES” containing information under name “coronatips…”. The inspected person is company: Lifefood Czech Republic s.r.o.

7. Advertisment on website viaelite.cz in article named “Boost your immunity in good time! This is the maximum prevention against coronavirus and flu as well,” which contains, inter alia, claim “Colostrum protects your body against viruses and many diseases as well.” The inspected person is company: Via Elite s.r.o.

8. Using prohibited medical claims the operators failed to meet requirements of Regulation No. 1169/2011 on the provision of information to consumers as well as the Act No. 40/1995 Coll., on Regulation of Advertisement.

CAFIA strongly warns both consumers and operators that from the point of view of legislation, food supplements are regarded as foodstuffs and therefore they cannot be assigned by any medical or preventive effects which are reserved to medicaments only.

CAFIA will initiate an administrative procedure on imposition of a fine with the inspected persons.

CAFIA inspectors currently deal with further cases of suspicion of unauthorized medical claims at food supplements just in relation to the virus pandemic. CAFIA will therefore continue with inspections of this type of food supplements in the future.

CAFIA has already informed of similar detections in its press releases of 27^th March 2020 and 19^th March 2020.

Article by: Mgr. Pavel Kopřiva – CAFIA Spokesperson, phone: +420 542 426 633   

8^th April 2020