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Amid the first stage of the COVID-19 virus pandemic in the spring 2020, the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (CAFIA) dealt with more than 80 cases of misusing the concerns of the public by certain Internet sellers of food supplements. These sellers offered products using prohibited medical claims, namely by indicating alleged and unreal effects on coronavirus and the COVID-19 disease. Food supplements are regarded as food supplements by legislation and as such, they cannot be therefore assigned by any medical or preventive effects as these are reserved to medicaments only.

In relation to the second pandemic wave since September 2020, CAFIA inspectors have noticed repeated attempts of some sellers to promote food supplements using untrue and unauthorised claims again.

Summary of current detections:

1. Food supplements promoted on websites: www.studenykolagen.cz/imunita/, where the inspected person indicated unauthorised medical claims: “Five tips how to keep health and physical condition at the maximum when fighting against coronavirus…; Report of the National Health Institute states that omega 3 fatty acids may play crucial role in preparation of the body against fatal response to the coronavirus infection. Pursuant to the statement of the National Health Institute excessive autoimmune response may be one of the reasons of death of COVID-19 virus. And just omega 3 fatty acid may prepare the body for this fatal response…,” etc. Company Účto hrave s.r.o. is the inspected person.
2. Food supplements promoted on websites www.enatures.cz/existuje-prevence-proti-nakaze-koronavirem/, where the inspected person indicated unauthorised medical claims: “cure and vaccine”, “coronavirus”, “disease”, “virus”, “cough”, “sneezing”, “coronavirus disease”, “prevention”, “viruses and bacterial attacks”, “acute respiratory infections”, “against viruses, parasites, moulds or bacterium”. Pursuant to the information of the websites, company NATURES s.r.o., Trnava, Slovakia is the operator of the websites. CAFIA entered the information into the European system for communication among European supervisory organisations – AACS with the request for imposition of a measure by the Slovakian supervisory body.
3. Food supplements promoted on websites https://www.alza.cz/koronavirus,  where the inspected person indicated unauthorised medical claims: “Coronavirus”, “infected persons”, “Covid-19 as well as flu”, “contagious respiratory infections”, "viruses”, “Coronavirus and flu have very similar symptoms”, “High fever and shivering”, Dry Cough, Dyspnoea, Fatigue, Pain in the neck, Pain in muscles and whole body, Headache, Cold or nasal congestion, and “vomiting and diarrhoea”. Alza.cz a.s. is the inspected person.

Using prohibited medical claims the operators failed to meet requirements of the 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 ordered the inspected persons to withdraw the non-compliant claims and will initiate an administrative procedure on imposition of fine with them.

CAFIA currently deals with further cases of suspicion of the use of unauthorised medical claims at food supplements in relation to the virus outbreak. CAFIA will continue with the inspections of the use of unauthorised medical claims of this type of food supplements in the future.

CAFIA has already informed of similar detections in its press releases of 27th March 2020, 19th March 2020, 8th April 2020, 17th April 2020, 11th May 2020, 26th May 2020 and 12^th June 2020.

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

5^th November 2020