Food supplement ads frequently violate consumer protection laws

Companies selling and/or producing food supplements frequently violate Philippine consumer protection laws, an official of the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) said. Product advertisements and promotions still violate the Consumer Act even if these issue a disclaimer that no approved therapeutic claims have been made for these supplements, BFAD director IV Nazarita T. Tacandong said. For instance, supplements which claim to be beneficial for the heart may be misleading since these may give the false impression that these are drugs. These supplements would require another certification to be considered a drug, she said. Lack of personnel has compounded the problem because “only one person is left to monitor advertisements of food supplements, cosmetics, and other products under the agency's jurisdiction," she said. The agency imposes a P300,000 fine to violators but the “lack of personnel keeps us from fully doing and implementing our mandate," Tacandong told reporters on the sidelines of the Food Industry Summit 2009 held at the Dusit Thani in Makati City. Tacandong remains hopeful that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will soon sign the Food and Drug Administration Act. Once passed, the law will strengthen the agency and hire more people. This piece of legislation will also allow BFAD to retain income coming from license fees, registrations and fines, among others, instead of remitting them to the National Treasury. She also noted that the recent melamine and salmonella scares had raised the importance of an improved BFAD. - GMANews.TV