Criticism over MFDS’s delayed crackdown on oral albumin

‘Emergency Response Team’ launched only after rampant high-priced sales during the Lunar New Year rush

Pharmaceutical industry criticizes move as “ineffective, belated administration” as companies are already clearing out inventory

Although the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced a planned inspection targeting false and exaggerated advertising of ‘oral albumin’ products, the market is criticizing the move as a ‘belated response’ that came only after consumer harm had already occurred.

At the time the issue was first raised earlier this year by media outlets and civic groups, sales had already peaked, and illegal advertising intensified further during the Lunar New Year holiday season. Critics argue that the MFDS should have officially announced the inspection earlier through media channels to curb illegal market practices.

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MFDS’s “Emergency Response Team for Unfair Food Practices,” which officially launched on the 24th, announced a focused inspection of unfair advertising for albumin-containing foods as its first initiative. Although albumin derived from eggs or milk is broken down into amino acids upon consumption and does not directly increase blood albumin levels, false advertisements have been rampant on home shopping channels and social media, claiming it has the same effects as the pharmaceutical ‘serum albumin.’

In particular, as of December last year, albumin products ranked first in the number of home shopping health product broadcasts, and some products sold out more than 10 times, showing explosive sales. Despite being a high-priced product costing around KRW 100,000 per month, it successfully targeted consumers eager to recover from fatigue and boost their immunity.

In January, Dailypharm had already published an in-depth report on the harms of oral albumin supplements, followed by similar media coverage.

As the MFDS response remained insufficient despite media reports, civic groups and the medical community called for stronger action. On the 20th, the consumer advocacy group Consumers Together issued a statement calling it “a nationwide fraud that packages ordinary food without proven medical efficacy as if it had therapeutic effects. We ask the MFDS to conduct a full investigation into false advertising and impose strict penalties under a zero-tolerance principle.”

Earlier, the Korean Medical Association also raised concerns, stating that “there is no clinical evidence supporting oral albumin.” It further indicated that it is considering referring so-called ‘show doctors’ who appeared in misleading advertisements by exploiting their professional authority, to the Ethics Committee and recommending disciplinary action.

“Only acting after the peak?”… industry criticism grows

It was only after the KMA and consumer groups issued strong demands that the MFDS officially announced its first planned inspection of oral albumin products through its Emergency Response Team for Unfair Food Practices. However, the pharmaceutical sector and related industries are questioning the practicality of this planned inspection, as large-scale sales had already taken place during peak seasons such as the Lunar New Year.

According to the distribution industry, many companies have already generated substantial profits and entered a discount phase to clear remaining inventory following the crackdown announcement. A pharmacist who requested anonymity criticized, “By the time the MFDS declared enforcement, companies had already sold most of their stock,” calling it “a textbook case of a belated response.” An industry official also pointed out that “At the very least, targeted inspections should have been conducted before the Lunar New Year, when sales peak.”

In response to criticism of delayed action, the MFDS stated, “We have continuously conducted crackdowns on misleading advertisements for oral albumin products. The launch of this emergency response team is aimed at tackling overall unfair food practices, and is not a targeted inspection specifically for oral albumin.”

However, criticism has emerged that there have been no officially planned inspections regarding false advertising of edible albumin products to date, and that existing crackdowns have relied primarily on online post-hoc monitoring. This suggests that there are limitations in responding to real-time advertisements on home shopping channels or social media.

While the MFDS aims to overcome these limitations through the new emergency response team, it is expected to face growing accountability issues over consumer damage that has already occurred.