Advisory on ‘Mini Air Conditioners’ That Fail to Blow Cold Air, Bought by Direct Overseas Shipment For Protein Supplement General Food, Protein Content Varies Widely Across Products

- Refusal by sellers to cancel or return the air conditioner products that do not work as advertised in the product description -

Recently, due to a series of cases where air conditioners purchased cheaply through overseas shopping malls do not work as advertised, contrary to the product description, consumers are strongly advised to be cautious. On its Crossborder Transaction Consumer Portal (crossborder.kca.go.kr), the Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) has received a total of 17 consumer consultations related to overseas direct purchase of air conditioners with similar content over a three-month period from May to July of this year. Protein supplements, which used to be mainly consumed by workout enthusiasts building and maintaining muscle mass, are widely assumed to be effective in dieting and preventing sarcopenia, with the consumer base expanding to include women and the middle-aged customers. Protein supplements are classified into health functional food and general food. For health functional food, there are management standards such as amino acid score, but no separate standards exist for general food, so there is a lack of information to refer to when purchasing. Accordingly, the Korea Consumer Agency tested and evaluated the protein content of 16 protein supplement general food products (powder, beverage), and found that there are differences in the nutritional content of each product, so consumers are advised to take this into consideration when consuming.