THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
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Dubious products taken off TV, public warned

Dubious products taken off TV, public warned

AUTHORITIES HAVE removed food and cosmetic ads from 29 TV stations, one radio station and 10 web sites mainly due to the illegitimate exaggeration of the products’ benefits.

“For example, some food products are described as having the ability to cure diseases,” Food and Drug Administration (FDA) secretary general Wanchai Sattayawuthipong said yesterday. 
He added that some cosmetics ads had also apparently misled consumers and thus needed to be removed. 
Among the removed ads are those for Crystal Herb’s Gotu Kiloa food supplement on Spring News, Cordyceps Extract and Garnoderma Lucidum Extract Plus on Channel 8, BioOne and DoubleMaxx products on @TV, Cordy Plus food supplement on JKN Dramax, Ricapil rapid cosmetics on Bright TV and HYA Serum on Nation TV. 
Wanchai was speaking after officials from the FDA and National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) spent a week reviewing advertisements on various media outlets.
NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasith sat by Wanchai at yesterday’s press conference. 
Authorities have been closely monitoring advertisements following a revelation that many cosmetics products and food supplements available for sale were substandard. Some of those very products had become popular through the endorsement of paid celebrities. 
“Do not let any ad mislead you. Food supplements are not medicines. Cosmetics are for cleaning and beauty. They cannot change the structure of one’s body,” Wanchai said. 
He said products with exaggerated benefits might just hurt consumers’ pockets … and then their health. 
“If you come across any suspicious ad, alert the FDA at the Hotline 1556, or NBTC at its Hotline 1200,” he said. 
Meanwhile, Deputy National Police Commissioner Pol General Wirachai Songmetta revealed yesterday that as many as 902 people had lodged complaints with police against Magic Skin. 
The company was found to have distributed many substandard cosmetic and food-supplement products. 
Before this fact was exposed last month, Magic Skin had become quite popular after hiring many famous entertainment figures to endorse its products. 
“The damages caused by Magic Skin is over Bt289million,” Wirachai said, without elaborating on the calculation of the figure.
He added that the FDA had also urged police to investigate several famous stars for endorsing the food supplements Vitamin SHi-No-Bi and Mezzo Serum. 
They are Sarunrat “Lydia” Deane, Ungsumalynn “Pattie” Sirapatsakmetha, Chutavuth “March” Pattarakampol, Apissada “Ice” Kreurkongka, Virithipa “Woonsen” Pakdeeprasong and Puttichai “Push” Kasetsin.
“We will also summon Kanokchat Munyad-on or Typhoon KPN to provide information regarding Slim Milk endorsement,” Wirachai said.

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