“This product is guaranteed to make you lose 5 kilograms per week; no exercise or dieting required!” “This is the only breakfast cereal that provides your child with all the essential vitamins and minerals a growing body needs!” False claims are churned out in advertisements in the printed media we read, usually to tout one product or another as a magical solution to our health or social problems. Some advertisements lure the consumer into buying a product by playing with human emotions and often misconstruing information. The ad tells us that some sort of a must-have product will either make us look younger, be healthier, win us ever lasting love, feel happier, or dazzle our friends and guests. Part of the responsibility to unveil false claims and detect fraud and cheating rests on the Ministry of Commerce and Trade, but part of this task should also be taken up more seriously by the Ministry of Culture and Information. Increased monitoring on the accuracy of the information in advertisements that go into print is called for, to protect the society from manufacturers or companies that are after tremendous profit at the expense of the unaware consumer. “We have recommended the Ministry of Culture and Information to exercise more control over the information alleged in advertisements in newspapers and magazines. “Currently, the inspection by the Ministry of Culture and Information of the statements put forth to the public in the form of advertisements is highly lacking,” said Fahad Al-Hathaily, an official from the department of combating fraud in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. “In the Kingdom, strict regulations exist that prevent advertising any health treatment as such, whether it is a medication or herbal remedy, unless first receiving the official approval from the Ministry of Health or the Saudi Food and Drug Authority,” added Al-Hathaily. In recent months, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry banned the entry of a certain imported herbal tea into the Saudi market because statements on the package made certain medical claims. The product will be allowed to be imported into the Kingdom only after the removal any such promotional statements that promise medical treatments and are not backed by scientific evidence or approved by the Ministry of Health. “The manufacturer of such products should provide scientific evidence to prove that the claim is true. The consumer should ask for such evidence or do some independent research to find out if the information reported on the package is authentic. “You can use websites such as that of the US Food and Drug Administration. Some fat loss supplements may be sold on the market after only one or two clinical trials, without thorough research and proof that the product is effective in aiding in weight loss,” said Dr. Rayan Karkadan, medical intern at King Abdulaziz University and founder of Mizan, a weight loss support and educational group.
“The ideal and in fact, the only correct and healthy way to lose weight is by combining both regular physical exercise and a balanced weight loss diet. “Even on those supplements that promise instant weight loss, if you look closely enough, there is usually very fine print that states that exercise and dietary changes are also necessary,” added Karkadan. Although screening of the information written in advertisements in the papers is needed by the authorities, the society should not rely only on governmental agencies. We should not simply be passive recipients of information. More reading, research, asking questions, and a higher sense of awareness on the part of the consumer should be encouraged, and the filtering of information and discrimination between fact and myth starts with you, the reader, consumer, the parent, or the university student. Personally, I actually initiated consumer awareness in my family in a fun way by giving my children the accurate information in response to an advertisement they have read and then making jokes about it.
