'Improving insomnia' Detects sleep-inducing specialized medicine ingredients in direct purchase food

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said that a survey of overseas direct food products that seek to improve insomnia, depression, and anxiety symptoms has identified raw materials and ingredients that are subject to block entry into Korea in 14 products.

In particular, melatonin, a specialty drug used as a sleep-inducing agent, was detected in two products that claimed to improve insomnia and sleep disorders, and the packaging was marked as "melatonin free."

In other products, excessive doses without a specialist's prescription have been detected in pharmaceutical ingredients (5-HTP), which can cause vomiting, nausea, and behavioral disorders, and "thinning," which puts a strain on the kidneys in case of misuse.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said it asked related agencies to hold customs clearance for products with confirmed harmful ingredients and requested to block access to online sales sites so that they could no longer be brought into the country.

Information on the products detected can be found in detail on the Overseas Direct Purchase Hazardous Food List on the "Overseas Direct Purchase Food Properly" website.