Diet and food supplements worth more than 100 million baht have been seized from companies in Bangkok and Samut Sakhon for false advertising of the benefits of the products, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) said.
Mezo supplements shown at the Department of Special Investigation on Wednesday. (Photo by Pattanapong Hirunard)
DSI director-general Suwana Suwanjuta said Wednesday about 60,000 Mezo diet pills, which would sell for about five million baht, were taken from Mezo Enterprise Co in Lat Phrao district.
More than one million more pills, valued around 100 million baht, were taken from Sukrit 55 Co in Muang district of Samut Sakhon. The diet products were marketed under the brands Mezo, WP Plus and FBL Plus, and the food supplements as Fomo and V Shape Body.
Pol Maj Suriya Singhakamol, director of the DSI’s Bureau of Technology and Cyber Crime, said the companies were legally registered as the producers of food supplements and diet pill recipes, and accepted orders to produce diet supplements for other companies.
He said test by the Central Institute of Forensic Science Thailand and the Food and Drug Administration revealed that the companies’ products were harmful to health and contained substances could only be prescribed by a pharmacist.
“Several of the products make false claims, such as advertisements promising a weight loss of 10 kilogrammes within one month, and changing dark skin to white. Some products did not have the same name as registered products,” he said.
The department would ensure the companies' tax filings were closely examined, and estimated damage to the state at 45 million baht with estimated sales of 600 million baht a year.
The DSI would ensure more tests were made on the products and then seek court arrest warrants. He said this would take about two months.