TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Celebrity cheerleader Lin Hsiang (林襄), also known as Mizuki, is under investigation by the Taipei Department of Health for promoting and selling falsely labeled diet pills online.
Lin cheers for the Rakuten Monkeys baseball team and has a large online fan base in both Taiwan and Japan. The e-celeb was reportedly selling generic fiber tablets online, while promoting the products as an effective weight-loss tool, reported LTN.
Lin is now under investigation and if found guilty may be fined between NT$40,000 (US$1,300) and NT$4 million (US$130,000) for false advertising.
Lin and her agent were reportedly selling the fiber tablets on the Shopee platform at prices between NT$740 (US$25) and NT$1,480 (US$50) per box. After receiving the supplements, several customers noticed that the pills were not properly labeled as a health food supplement.
Food products that are sold as health food supplements in Taiwan are packaged with a green label, known as the “Little Green Man,” which identifies them as certified health food products. The fiber pills sold by Lin and her associates did not have this label, and could not be promoted as weight-loss pills.
Taiwan's health food certification logo.
In response to the allegations of false advertising, Lin’s agent responded “I was not familiar enough with the relevant regulations. We promise to pay more attention to these matters in the future.” LTN reported that the product has been removed from the online store, and that as this is a first-time offense, Lin will most likely be fined the minimum of NT$40,000.
The Taipei Department of Health urges consumers to pay attention to the packaging and labeling of weight-loss pills and other health supplements. If a local product is being marketed as an effective health food, it should have the green certification label clearly visible on its packaging.
