3 months Ago
The survey of 30 sales platforms discovered that 25 of them promoted products with unproven and illegal claims concerning the desired health effects associated with these products.
Sounds Too Good to be True: The Role of Collagen in Our Biology and Current Capabilities for Human Consumption.
This is a protein that the body can make with a little help from your diet and is responsible for part of the connective tissue in skin, bones, tendons, teeth, and cartilage.
Although it is essential in the human body, the NVWA stressed that there is no such thing as scientific proof, and therefore, health benefits cannot be attributed to taking collagen supplements.
In the Netherlands and Europe, it is not allowed to claim that they help against digestive complaints or in support of joint cartilage.
Prevention of Fraudulent Claims, Ranging from Health To Medical
Medical claims must never appear in connection with dietary supplements and account for half of the violations. Among the claims were that collagen could cure or address digestive issues, wound healing, diabetes, inflammation, and joint disease.
The other half covered unauthorised health claims – credible, specific, and realistic promises of cartilage care were not in accordance with EU rules.
Large Retailers Also Involved
According to the NVWA, even large and well-known drugstore chains turned out to be making false claims about collagen products.
All sellers making these false claims would have to pay fines and remove the content from their websites.
Continued Monitoring and Enforcement
Reiterating increased scrutiny in the sector over the next months, the regulator said it would carefully monitor developments and assess how firms operate.
If the violations continue, a lot of newer measures could be enforced to make sure the law is properly followed.
Consumer Protection at the Core
An NVWA spokeswoman said: 'With this investigation, it is established that the information on which consumers base their purchase decision must be correct.
"Medical claims on dietary supplements are always banned," the spokesperson said, citing this fact to reaffirm the necessity of severe enforcement.
