The number of cases where general foods were advertised as if they were health functional foods exceeded 7,000 last year, marking the highest figure in the past five years.

According to parliamentary audit data submitted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to Democratic Party lawmaker Nam In-sun of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee on the 28th, a total of 23,324 cases of advertisements causing confusion between general foods and health functional foods were caught over the past five years.

The number of detected cases surged by 87.47% from 3,864 cases in 2022 to 7,244 cases in 2025. Last year's detection count was the highest among the past five years.

Unfair advertising of health functional foods also totaled 15,812 cases over the past five years. By category, advertisements implying efficacy in disease prevention and treatment were the most common at 5,291 cases (33%). These were followed by false or exaggerated advertisements at 4,866 cases (31%), and consumer-deceiving advertisements at 2,523 cases (16%).

Lawmaker Nam stated, "Advertising general foods as if they are health functional foods is an act that misleads and deceives consumers," adding, "Particularly during periods like holidays when demand for health functional foods spikes, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety must strengthen crackdowns and establish effective preventive measures to prevent consumer damage caused by false and exaggerated advertising."

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