The company in question is e.Cycle Inc amid concerns over its dietary supplement, Ketogenne.
According to the CAA, 89 adverse incidents involving Ketogenne have been recorded since April 2019. The cases include digestive disorders such as diarrhoea, and skin outbreaks like hives.
This is the first time CAA has mentioned a company name based on the consumer safety law regarding health foods.
CAA said most of the affected people were above 40 years, and about two-thirds were female.
The company acknowledged the surge in incidents in an official press release: “It is noted that there has been a sudden increase in accident information from the Consumer Affairs Agency that illness such as diarrhoea has occurred.”
Ketogenne
Ketogenne has been in the market since March and is manufactured in Japan.
It is sold as a dietary supplement (capsule), and advertised to support the ketogenic diet (turn fat into energy) and maintain ideal body shape.
It retails for about JPY 7500 on Amazon Japan and Rakuten.
According to the company who told CAA, there were about 30,000 new customers each in June and July.
The company explained that the ingredients in the product have been confirmed safe to use by all its raw material manufacturers.
It also said its manufacturing plant conform to the GMP certification system established by the Japan Health and Nutrition Food Association.
Safety first
The CAA advised: “When you use Ketogenne, please be aware that there may be physical damage based on the fact that consumer accidents have occurred.”
The company also commented: “We (will) immediately stop advertising operations for this product and immediately request a third-party organisation to conduct a safety analysis of this product.”
It said should any users experience discomfor, “we recommend that you refrain from using it promptly and consult with the nearest medical institution or health centre.”
The company added it would continue to strive to “further improve and thoroughly control quality, so we appreciate your continued patronage of our products.”