After the incident related to Kobayashi’s functional foods, Japanese authorities conducted a review of the entire system.
Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) said that in the past two weeks, businesses have reported 117 cases of health problems related to 18 types of dietary supplements.
This result came after the CAA sent a notice to businesses on March 28, requesting to declare health hazards related to their products.
In Japan, dietary supplements are not as strictly controlled as medicines. Illustration photo: Medlineplus
By April 11, CAA received responses for more than 5,500 products from nearly 1,400 businesses, reaching a response rate of nearly 82%. According to NIApatients mainly had mild symptoms such as diarrhea and rash, some had to be hospitalized, and no deaths were recorded.
However, the authorities did not disclose the names of these 18 products because the cause-and-effect relationship between them and the side effects has not been established. The CAA is planning a detailed analysis with the help of medical experts and will make the results public.
Before receiving the report, CAA was unaware of the above cases. The businesses involved said that most of the incidents were of a minor nature and that there was no clear relationship between the product and harm to health.
Recent deaths linked to the use of products containing red yeast rice from pharmaceutical company Kobayashi have prompted an investigation into the dietary supplement business in Japan.
According to the Japanese Ministry of Health, by April 14, there were 5 deaths and 231 hospitalizations related to Kobayashi’s functional foods. Puberulic acid – a natural compound produced from green mold – has been discovered in this pharmaceutical company’s products.
Kobayashi waited about two months to report the kidney disease cases and suspected link to his product to the Japanese government.
Theo known, consumers in Japan are afraid of functional foods due to serious incidents after using products containing Kobayashi’s red yeast rice. In the first week of April, sales dropped 11%.
“I used to actively buy functional foods but now I’m a bit worried, so I’ve recently stopped buying,” said customer Mai Yoshida (Tokyo).