The Ultimate Guide to Health Supplements: Uncovering the Unapproved Products Sold on Shopee and Lazada.

Vietnam’s Food Safety Authority has ordered two major e-commerce platforms, Shopee and Lazada, to halt the sale of several unregistered food supplements.

This directive was issued on May 27th, following an investigation into product registration, production, and sales of food supplements on these platforms, which uncovered violations.

Multiple products, categorized as health-protecting food supplements, were being advertised and sold on Shopee and Lazada without the necessary registration documents, as mandated by regulations.

The named products include Omega 3-6-9 1600 mg, Natto Kinase 4000fu, Estroven – Complete Multi – Symptom, Kirkland Glucosamine 1500 mg with Chondroitin 1200 mg, and Glucosamine 1500mg with MSM 1500mg.

The Food Safety Authority emphasized that to legally sell food supplements in Vietnam, companies must obtain the necessary registration documents from the relevant authorities. Selling unregistered products poses potential health risks to consumers and violates the law.

The authority has instructed Shopee Vietnam Co., Ltd. and Lazada Vietnam E-Commerce Co., Ltd. to scrutinize all related transactions, immediately cease the sale of these products, and remove all associated information by May 30th. Additionally, the platforms are required to submit a report on their corrective actions to the authority.

A representative from the Food Safety Authority underscored, “Only food supplements that have been granted registration or notification on the food safety information system are permitted for sale.”

Shopee and Lazada are the leading e-commerce platforms in Vietnam, facilitating millions of transactions each month.

Since the beginning of May, authorities have been actively detecting and penalizing violations related to the advertising and sale of food supplements. Numerous instances of misleading promotions by celebrities, TikTokers, KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders), and KOCs (Key Opinion Consumers) have been identified on platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Shopee, causing confusion among consumers.

In 2024, the Food Safety Authority imposed fines totaling over VND 11 billion for false advertising of food supplements.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Health has established 15 inspection teams to conduct surprise checks on the sale of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food supplements on e-commerce platforms and social media sites, including TikTok, Zalo, Facebook, and YouTube.

Consumers are advised to purchase medicines and food supplements only from licensed establishments with clear product origins. It is important to refrain from buying based solely on unverified online advertisements.