A forbidden diet ingredient has been discovered in U.S. health foods imported here, officials said yesterday.
According to officials at the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) and the Board of Audit and Inspection, ephedrine, a prohibited food substance, was found in four kinds of U.S. nutritious meals imported by two local multilevel marketing companies.
The KFDA immediately confiscated all the products containing ephedrine, and plans to report the two importers to the law enforcement agencies on charges of false and exaggerated advertisements, false import declaration and violation of the food hygiene act, the officials said.
They will also increase inspections into other U.S. health foods imported by the two firms, owned by the same individual and boast a 100,000-strong sales staff throughout the nation. A KFDA official said these companies started to import various food products from the United States in 1998.
Ephedrine is a stimulant which enhances cardiovascular and neuron activity, they said. The element has been allowed on a limited basis only as a remedy for colds as it expands the respiratory system.
"If it is mixed with caffeine, however, ephedrine can cause various symptoms ranging from heart attack and manic-depressive insanity to paranoia and insomnia," an official warned.
Furthermore, ephedrine with a hydrochloric acid substance can be used as an element in certain narcotics, he added.
By Kim Hyung-jin Staff reporter
2000.12.26