Popular prenatal and postpartum health products have been accused of not being produced according to official approvals, while the involved company claims this is defamation, and relevant authorities have intervened.

Is the ingredient listed on the product packaging and approval document as “reduced iron powder” actually “ferrous fumarate”? Recently, a consumer from Shanxi, Liu Bo, reported to the public interaction platform “Service Pai” that a maternal health product named “Meihao Yunyun Alpha Lin – Run Kang Capsule (for Pregnant and Postpartum Women) (Nutritional Supplement)” was not produced according to its formula. He has reported the involved company, Shanxi Kanghui Zhongtian Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Kanghui Zhongtian”), to the Yuncheng Market Supervision Administration, which has now opened a case.

A reporter from The Paper contacted the Yuncheng Market Supervision Administration, and an office staff member stated that the matter is being processed according to procedures. The holding company of the involved company, Shanxi Meihao Yunyun Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Meihao Yunyun”), claimed that the issue was a malicious smear by competitors against the company’s products and that they are currently pursuing legal action.

Liu Shaowei, a director of the Shanghai Food Safety Research Association and a professor at Shanghai Sanda University’s International Medical Technology College, explained that “reduced iron” and “reduced iron powder” are general terms for “iron,” which includes various iron-containing compounds such as “ferrous fumarate,” indicating that ferrous fumarate is essentially a type of reduced iron.

Did the involved health product use “ferrous fumarate” instead of “reduced iron powder”? Liu Bo stated that a few years ago, when his wife was pregnant, he purchased a health product produced by “Kanghui Zhongtian,” specifically the “Meihao Yunyun Alpha Lin – Run Kang Capsule (for Pregnant and Postpartum Women).” At that time, he worked for the company and was responsible for overseeing the warehouse.

Due to fetal developmental issues, his wife later underwent an abortion on the advice of a doctor. Following this, Liu Bo began to suspect that the abortion might be related to the health product she had taken during her pregnancy. Recently, a former colleague working on the production line at “Kanghui Zhongtian” informed Liu Bo that this health product might have used “ferrous fumarate” instead of “reduced iron powder” as stated on the packaging label.

After comparing product information, Liu Bo found that the ingredient list indeed included “reduced iron powder,” but did not mention “ferrous fumarate.” The packaging information for the “Alpha Lin – Run Kang Capsule” indicates that its full name is “Meihao Yunyun Alpha Lin – Run Kang Capsule (for Pregnant and Postpartum Women),” which is produced by “Kanghui Zhongtian” under the commission of Great Wall Biotechnology Co., Ltd. The main ingredients include alpha-linolenic acid, lecithin, various vitamins, folic acid, and reduced iron powder, with no mention of “ferrous fumarate.”

Approval documents from the State Administration for Market Regulation show that the approval number for the Alpha Lin – Run Kang Capsule (for Pregnant and Postpartum Women) (Nutritional Supplement) is “Wei Shi Jian Zi (1997) No. 387.” Both the “effective ingredients/characteristic ingredient content” and “main raw materials” sections include “reduced iron powder,” with no mention of “ferrous fumarate.”

On JD.com, the official flagship store of “Meihao Yunyun” shows that this product has sold over 50,000 units, with more than 50,000 reviews. On Taobao, the “Meihao Yunyun Flagship Store” lists the Alpha Lin – Run Kang Capsule at a price of 599 yuan, indicating that over 20,000 units have been sold, with “900+ people buying in the past week” and “over 4,000 repeat customers.”

The Yuncheng Market Supervision Administration has issued a case notification letter. According to Tianyancha information, “Kanghui Zhongtian” was established on May 20, 2016, with a registered capital of 10 million yuan. “Kanghui Zhongtian” is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shanxi Meihao Yunyun Biotechnology Co., Ltd., which was established on October 16, 2014.

Liu Bo stated that he received a notification from the Yuncheng Market Supervision Administration on August 19, confirming that his report had been filed. The “Report Filing Notification” he provided shows that on July 8, 2024, the Yuncheng Market Supervision Administration received a report regarding “Kanghui Zhongtian” suspected of illegally producing health food for pregnant women. After verification, the administration decided to file a case. The notification was dated August 16.

In another recording provided by Liu Bo, a staff member from the Yuncheng Market Supervision Administration stated that the case has been filed for investigation but will require some time. The Paper noted that Article 78 of the Food Safety Law stipulates that health food labels and instructions must not involve disease prevention or treatment functions, and the content must be truthful and consistent with registered or filed content… The functions and ingredients of health food must be consistent with the labels and instructions.

On November 15, a reporter from The Paper called the Yuncheng Market Supervision Administration. An office staff member stated that the matter is being processed according to procedures, and he was not aware of other details. Subsequently, the reporter made multiple calls to the publicity department and relevant law enforcement departments of the Yuncheng Market Supervision Administration but did not receive effective responses.

Experts noted that ferrous fumarate is essentially a type of reduced iron. Liu Shaowei explained that both can supplement iron, and the “Standards for the Use of Food Nutritional Fortifiers (GB14880-2012)” lists “iron” sources, including seven types, one of which is “ferrous fumarate.” He further elaborated that “reduced iron” and “reduced iron powder” are general terms for “iron,” with reduced iron being a processed form that includes various iron-containing compounds, including “ferrous fumarate.”

He Haiyan, deputy chief physician of the Hematology Department at Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, stated that for patients with iron deficiency anemia, oral ferrous preparations are commonly prescribed, with ferrous fumarate being an acceptable option.

Regarding this matter, the reporter called the complaint hotline on the packaging of the “Meihao Yunyun Alpha Lin – Run Kang Capsule.” A relevant staff member responded that the company is aware of some rumors online about the “Alpha Lin – Run Kang Capsule.” After investigation, they found this to be a malicious smear by competitors, and the company is currently pursuing legal action to protect its legitimate rights and interests.

“We produce and sell according to national laws and regulations. If you have further questions about the product’s ingredients and processes, we can arrange for our factory’s technical personnel to provide detailed explanations,” the staff member said. However, as of the time of publication, The Paper had not received a call from the technical personnel of “Meihao Yunyun.”

Meanwhile, The Paper noted a statement circulating online, stamped with the seal of “Shanxi Meihao Yunyun Biotechnology Co., Ltd.” and dated October 8, 2024, titled “Statement on False Information Online.” This statement claims that recently, some maliciously defamatory false information about the company’s brand and products has appeared online, which is baseless and severely misleading, causing a negative impact on the company’s reputation. The company has provided an explanation to the local Yuncheng Market Supervision Administration, which conducted on-site investigations and sampling of the products produced by the company, all of which passed third-party testing, indicating that the alleged illegal facts online are unfounded.