SINGAPORE, Sept 18 — The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) issued a warning on September 17 against consuming four weight loss products due to the presence of banned substances. Among these are Malaysia's Unique Good Morning Candies and Unique Good Night Candies, along with Japan’s Sausando Slimming Coffee and Sausando Slimming Tea.
According to The Straits Times, all four products are available on local e-commerce platforms and claim to effectively promote fat burning, weight loss, appetite suppression, detoxification, hunger control, digestion improvement, and metabolism acceleration, as noted by SFA.
The SFA has collaborated with e-commerce platforms to remove these listings and has warned sellers to cease sales immediately.
The Unique Good Morning Candies include sibutramine, while the Unique Good Night Candies contain sennosides.
The Sausando products contain banned substances such as frusemide, phenolphthalein, and sibutramine.
Sibutramine, a prescription-only weight-loss medication, has been banned in Singapore since 2010 due to its association with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
Excessive use of frusemide can lead to low blood volume, circulatory collapse, and increased blood cell concentration, while phenolphthalein, a stimulant laxative, can cause diarrhoea and non-functioning colon when overused.
Prolonged use of sennosides, which are also used for constipation relief, may result in lazy bowel and dehydration.
The agency advises consumers who have purchased these products not to consume them.
“Those who have consumed the implicated products and have concerns about their health should seek medical advice,” it said in a statement.
The SFA also encouraged consumers to be cautious about the risks linked to purchasing food from unknown or unverified sources and advised them to gather more information before making any purchases.
The agency stated that it “will not hesitate to take stern enforcement actions against anyone who sells and supplies unsafe food products that have been adulterated with banned substances and/or medicinal substances that are not allowed in food”.
Selling unsafe food is a criminal offense in Singapore. Offenders may face fines of up to S$5,000, while repeat offenders could be fined up to S$10,000, face imprisonment for up to three months, or both.
