The building of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety [Provided by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Resale and database prohibited]

Seven companies have been caught engaging in deceptive advertising that misled consumers into believing non-edible raw lard (pig fat) was fit for consumption, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 29th.

Raw lard is obtained by extracting fat components from raw pig fat. It can only be used for consumption after undergoing purification processes such as removing impurities and decolorization/deodorization.

As cooking recipes utilizing 'lard oil' (pork fat) became popular online, the ministry conducted inspections of three raw lard manufacturers and eight distribution/sales companies.

The inspections revealed that one manufacturer and six sales companies had advertised raw lard as edible.

The most common deceptive advertising content, accounting for seven cases, was misleading consumers into mistaking raw lard for edible lard. There were also instances of exaggerated claims, such as "helps with vascular cell health."

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has requested administrative action against these companies and has filed criminal complaints.

The ministry also previously announced that it had identified 95 cases of deceptive advertising related to cosmetics that were designed to resemble food items like donuts, macarons, and jellies, raising concerns of accidental ingestion by consumers.