Food Ministry to Inspect Diet Drinks Made from Fermented Pineapple Vinegar

The ministry went through 74 petitions that were posted online between June 8 and August 31 and chose to investigate the fermented pineapple vinegar drink that had the greatest number of petitioned votes. (image: Yonhap)

SEOUL, Sept. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety revealed today that it was planning to inspect so-called “diet drinks” made from fermented pineapple vinegar.

The ministry went through 74 petitions that were posted online between June 8 and August 31 and chose to investigate the fermented pineapple vinegar drink that had the greatest number of petitioned votes (1,325 votes).

One petitioner said that after drinking the fermented vinegar advertised to be helpful for dieting, she experienced “diarrhea, stomach aches, and abnormalities in her period.”

The ministry plans to investigate other products such as tea and drinks that are advertised as effective for dieting in order to alleviate anxieties consumers may have.

The ministry also plans to publicly reveal every procedure in the inspection process, from collection to testing, via podcasts and social media.

Products found to have violated regulations will be recalled and discarded in due process.

On September 20, the ministry revealed the test results of inspections of wet wipes used for toddlers and children.

At present, the ministry is performing tests on diapers.

H. S. Seo (hsseo@koreabizwire.com)