Irish websites offering banned foods for sale
The banned substances are sometimes used in products used for weight loss, bodybuilding, appetite suppressants and impotence remedy.
The European Commission has published the results of control programme which involved organisations from member States identifying food sold online that did not comply with EU legislation.
Last September 25 member states, along with Switzerland and Norway checked 1,077 websites which identified 779 offers for sale of food which did not comply with EU legislation.
Here, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland identified 17 types of unauthorised ‘novel foods’ and six kinds of food supplements making unpermitted claims.
A spokesperson for the FSAI said it is precluded by law from identifying the products in question, but that they were found on websites with either.ie domains or offered for delivery to Ireland.
However, the ‘novel foods’ identified in the programme all contain one or more of four different ingredients.
Ireland takes part in EU-wide internet sweep of food sold online https://t.co/ZjOOudniAt pic.twitter.com/Pw7Odxp8d2
— FoodSafetyAuthority (@FSAIinfo) February 23, 2018
They are defined as foods that not been consumed to a significant degree before 1997. They include agmatine (4-aminobutyl) guanidine sulfate, used for muscle-building, and acacia rigidula, which features as an ingredient in weight-loss products.
The other banned novel foods are epimedium grandiflorum, also known as ‘horny goat weed’ which is sold in natural impotence remedies, and Hoodia gordonii or ‘Bushman’s hat’ which is an ingredient in appetite suppressants.
The authorities also sought out retailers offering food supplements promising the prevention, treatment, or cure of bone and joint diseases.
Food Safety Authority of Ireland chief executive Pamela Byrne, said the high number of non-compliant offers found in the report is a clear sign that e-commerce controls in Europe need to be strengthened: “Whether purchasing from a physical store or online, consumers have the right to buy safe food which does not mislead.
"Furthermore, businesses selling food online must abide by the same rules as their bricks and mortar counterparts.”
“To strengthen controls in Ireland, the FSAI has established a cross-agency working group focusing on online sales of food and last year published information for food businesses selling or advertising food online.
“I strongly encourage all food businesses to take the time to read this information and revise their online offers, as necessary. Inspectors are putting more focus on reviewing the online activity of food businesses,” she said.
