A Consumer Council survey has revealed that some one-fifth of consumers taking health foods have little or no concern over the effectiveness of the products.
And an overwhelming majority of consumers apparently in good health are taking health foods too.
The opinion survey, based on 474 consumers of health foods, showed that nearly half of the respondents regularly and habitually take health foods.
According to the survey, 66% of respondents reported being both satisfied to different extent, and confident of the effectiveness of the products.
But 22% of respondents, while satisfied with the products, thought otherwise: In their opinion, the health foods they take are "not really effective or not effective at all".
The survey also sought to find out the health status of the respondents in the previous six months. Not surprisingly, 52% of respondents rated their health conditions "excellent or good" and 46% "fair". Only 2% responded to be in "bad" health conditions.
These seem to suggest that satisfaction with health food is not necessarily a reflection of the product effectiveness. It might be more of a psychological need, regardless of whether or not the products possess any health enhancement effect.
What then prompted them to take health food in the first place? Most got to know about it by word of mouth from friends or relatives, and by the heavy media advertising as the next most influential source of information.
The desire to enhance general health was given as the main reason for taking health food. Consumers were led to believe that health food products, among other attributes, are safer than western medicines because presumably they are made of natural ingredients and have fewer side effects.
In the survey, 5% of the respondents, however, did report side effects of one kind or another: diarrhea, insomnia, lassitude, dizziness, sweating and thirstiness. Some of the side effects were attributed to involve slimming or herbal tea products.
In the report were highlighted two incidents of hazards posed by health food products. The first involved the excessive consumption of a fish liver oil resulting in cirrhosis. The second involved an aged patient who developed liver poisoning after having taken ganoderma spore powder for a month.
A variety of 192 health food products were found to be commonly available to consumers through retail outlets of supermarkets, health food shops, chain pharmacies and convenience stores, according to a market survey conducted by the Consumer Council between June and August 2004.
Among them were 91 Traditional and Complementary Medicines (TCM), and 101 as Nutraceuticals. Examples of TCM include Chinese medicinal fungi such as lingzhi, ganoderma spore or yunzhi, cordycepts preparations, herbal teas and pills, etc. Nutraceuticals are mostly vitamin and mineral supplements, shark liver oil and deep-sea oil capsules, etc.
Besides claiming to enhance health in general, these products also promote benefits of nutritional wellbeing, disease prevention (such as cold and flu), and better personal grooming (such as improved skin conditions and slimmer build).
The survey estimated consumer spending could reach up to $3,600 over a 6-month period.
In the labeling analysis conducted on 80 health food products, it was found that most of the products did not provide information on contra-indication and side effect.
However, some products may bear medical claims that may need to be registered as pharmaceutical/medicine product or proprietary Chinese medicine. The Council has notified the Department of Health of the analysis result for any follow-up action deemed necessary.
Health food is not defined in law in Hong Kong, and its products are regulated under various legislations and regulations in Hong Kong depending on their ingredients and purported function.
The Government relies on manufacturers to prove that the health claims of their products can be substantiated, and no pre-market approval is required for non-pharmaceutical or non-medical products before sale.
In other words, misleading health claims in some promotional materials of health food products can sometimes go unchecked.
Consumers are advised to consult doctors and medical professionals before taking health foods.
In shopping for health food products, consumers should read the label carefully paying particular attention to information on contra-indication and side effect, as well as registration number if the products are categorized and regulated as pharmaceutical or medical products.
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