Health Functional Food Adverse-Event Reports Surge by 2,000 in Five Years... Warning Issued Over Concurrent Use Ahead of Chuseok

[Financial News] The number of reported adverse cases, including illnesses, associated with taking medicines and health functional foods together has surged by more than 2,000 over the past five years. As more consumers purchase health functional foods as gifts for parents or acquaintances ahead of Chuseok, special caution is advised when taking them.
According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on the 20th, South Korea's health functional food market was valued at 5.9626 trillion won last year, up 0.2% from the previous year. After declining for two consecutive years following 2022, when the market was valued at 6.1498 trillion won, it returned to a recovery trajectory last year. By sales, red ginseng ranked first at 953.6 billion won, followed by probiotics at 723.2 billion won, multivitamins at 643 billion won, single-vitamin products at 434.9 billion won, and protein supplements at 111.2 billion won.
Online purchases accounted for the largest share, while sales through offline hypermarkets and other outlets also continued to grow. Health functional foods have become a mainstream consumer product, with more than eight in 10 South Korean households (83.6%) having purchased them at least once a year.
As the market expands, the number of adverse-event reports is also rising sharply. There were about 1,340 reports of adverse cases involving health functional foods in 2021, followed by 1,115 in 2022, 1,431 in 2023, and 2,313 in 2024. The figure then reached 3,547 last year, an increase of 2,207 cases over five years.
Adverse cases refer to symptoms or illnesses suspected to have been caused by health functional foods. As the consumption of these products has grown, particularly among older adults seeking to boost immunity or manage chronic conditions, taking them alongside regularly prescribed medicines has been identified as one of the main causes of adverse reactions. This is because interactions between certain medicines and health functional food ingredients can excessively amplify drug effects or, conversely, cancel them out.
Ahead of Chuseok, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety issued a warning on the safe purchase and consumption of health functional foods and urged consumers to exercise particular caution.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety currently provides information on precautions for taking medicines together with 33 functional ingredients through Food Safety Korea or the Comprehensive Health Functional Food Information Service. Consumers can also use a QR code to check product information and precautions regarding concomitant use with medicines in one place. The Ministry is also pursuing measures to expand the information available on concomitant use with medicines. It is considering adding 14 functional ingredients to the existing 33.
In addition to providing the information through the Comprehensive Health Functional Food Information Service, the Ministry is consulting with relevant companies about placing QR codes at health functional food displays in stores such as Daiso, OLIVE YOUNG, and convenience stores including GS25, CU, and 7-Eleven.
An official from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said, "When purchasing health functional food products, consumers must check for the words 'health functional food' or a 'certification mark' and follow the directions for use and precautions." The official added, "In particular, people with underlying conditions or those taking medicines must check the information on precautions for concomitant use with medicines before purchasing a product."
[email protected] Kim Seo-yeon Reporter