Vietnam’s Dong Nai health officials refer Nestlé MILO advertising case to police over alleged consumer deception

The Dong Nai Department of Health announced on Thursday that it had submitted the case file and supporting documents to law enforcement following a review of Nestlé Vietnam’s promotional practices. 

Nestlé Vietnam is a subsidiary of Swiss food giant Nestlé.

Authorities say the company’s advertisements for its MILO barley milk supplement may have included misleading claims, particularly those referencing research from the National Institute of Nutrition.

The department began investigating in mid-May, conducting a series of inspections into the marketing of two products: 'Nutritional supplement barley drink Nestlé MILO 3-in-1 milk,' declared on December 27, 2021, and 'Nutritional supplement barley drink Nestlé MILO,' declared on August 10, 2022.

Nestlé Vietnam stated that only the second product cited the National Institute of Nutrition on its packaging. 

The company provided a letter dated January 25, 2024 from the institute supporting study findings that suggested improved physical performance in schoolchildren after three months of product use combined with physical education.

Despite this, health officials concluded during a meeting on Thursday that the advertisements showed 'signs of misleading consumers,' prompting the referral to police for further investigation.

Their report did not further specify the alleged violations, according to VnExpress. 

Nestlé Vietnam stated it had already taken voluntary steps to suspend all advertising that referenced the institute. 

This included pulling content from TV, social media, digital platforms, and outdoor ads.

The company said it also instructed advertising partners to take down related material and plans to introduce updated packaging in September.

The case was first flagged in an April 22 request from the Drug Administration of Vietnam, which asked local authorities to review the company’s advertising practices.

On May 23, the chairman of the Dong Nai People’s Committee formally directed health officials and other departments to coordinate with police in investigating Nestlé’s marketing of the MILO barley milk supplement.