Fifteen percent of dietary supplements on Kazakh shelves are sold in violation of regulations, according to state control data. Over the first nine months of this year, specialists tested 365 supplement samples, and 55 of them — or 15.1% — failed to meet established requirements, infohub.kz reports.
The Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Control said the vast majority of violations involved product labeling. "Most violations relate to product labeling — 92.7% of identified non-compliances. Another 7.2% involve microbiological indicators," the agency said in a statement.
Following the inspections, the Committee issued 55 orders for immediate response measures. Nine kilograms of non-compliant products were withdrawn from sale and recalled.
Sanitary doctors remind Kazakhstanis that dietary supplements are not medicines and should not be used to self-treat illnesses or replace doctor-prescribed therapy.
When buying dietary supplements, the Committee recommends checking for state registration and relevant documents. Consumers should carefully review the ingredients, expiration date, and labeling. Sanitary doctors advise purchasing such products only from reliable sellers.
Earlier, the Ministry of Health urged Kazakhstanis not to take dietary supplements to prevent flu and acute respiratory viral infections. The ministry noted that dietary supplements are not medicines and cannot replace flu vaccination.