Finnish Customs said there are serious shortcomings in food supplements sold online, with the majority of products not meeting standards laid down by the EU.
A 2022 review carried out by Customs officials found that 80 percent of food supplements inspected did not comply with EU food safety regulations.
Customs officers sampled 24 products ordered from Finnish online retailers.
The results showed that one in three products were found to contain prescription drugs or medicinal plants that have not been approved by food safety regulators. Products with misleading labelling, or health claims not backed by scientific evidence were also found to fall foul of EU regulations.
Products tested included supplements marketed to athletes, as well as those claiming to increase virility.
"Products most often don't make it past our review due to misleading labelling. For example, scientifically unfounded claims about the supplement's impacts on hormone levels are very common," said Jonna Neffling, Product Safety Manager at Finnish Customs.
Not a new issue
In a 2021 review of Finnish online retailers' wares, Customs officials sampled 116 supplements, of which 76 percent which were found to break food safety regulations.
These findings prompted the new round of enhanced monitoring carried out this year by the authority.