Nowadays, snacks are also popular with "high education", "developed by a certain Academy of Agricultural Sciences" and "a certain university", which has become the selling point of some snacks "green and healthy". Are these propaganda real?Recently, the Shanghai Municipal Consumer Rights Protection Commission launched an investigation into a snack called "Nine 0 (Zero) Nongda Vegetable Rolls".
A variety of snacks named "Agricultural University" and "Academy of Agricultural Sciences" are not advertised
This is a puffed food named "Jiu0 Agricultural University Vegetable Roll", which is marked with the words "Northeast Agricultural University" on its online sales link, and the word "Agricultural University" is also printed on the packaging of its products, which seems to be closely related to "Northeast Agricultural University". An investigation by the staff of the Shanghai Municipal Consumer Rights Protection Commission found that the snack was sold on multiple e-commerce platforms, with the highest one selling more than 30,000 pieces.
So, what is the relationship between this hot-selling snack and Northeast Agricultural University?The Shanghai Municipal Commission for the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests sent a letter of inquiry to Northeast Agricultural University, and received a reply from the university.
Weng Yuxiao, staff member of Shanghai Municipal Commission for the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests:It is clearly stated here that Northeast Agricultural University, as a higher education institution, does not carry out external production and operation work, vegetable rolls are not products produced by the school, and the commodity publicity is not true.
In addition, Northeast Agricultural University also said that the school has not carried out any cooperation with the commissioned manufacturers and commissioned manufacturers marked on the packaging of goods.
Previously, the "oatmeal of the Shanxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences", which ranked second on the "Meal Replacement Oatmeal Hit List" on an e-commerce platform, also claimed to be developed by the Agricultural Products Processing Institute of the Shanxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences and recommended by the Taiyuan Dietitians Association, and its sales volume has exceeded 20,000. However, the Shanghai Municipal Consumer Rights Protection Commission and the Shanxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences received a reply after verification: the promotional content of this oatmeal is not true, and this product has not been recommended.
This year, the Shanghai Municipal Commission for the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests randomly selected 13 kinds of foods sold online that claimed to be developed by institutions such as the "Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Agricultural University", and carried out an investigation and verification. Among them, 5 products were clearly denied to be related by relevant institutions, 4 products confirmed their participation in research and development, and the remaining 4 relevant institutions did not make a clear response.
section"Falsification of academic qualifications"The quality inspection of Internet celebrity snacks is not up to standard
The reason why some businesses give the best snacks "high education" is to make consumers mistakenly think that it is of higher quality and more "green and healthy", but what is the real situation?
Recently, the Shanghai Municipal Consumer Rights Protection Commission invited the Shanghai Nutritional Food Quality Supervision and Inspection Station to test the nutritional content of the "Jiunong University Vegetable Roll" marked with "Northeast Agricultural University". The results found that the measured protein content of this "Jiunong Vegetable Roll" was 7 per 100 grams49 grams, which is less than 10 grams per 100 grams as stated on the package0 g;The measured fat content is 21 per 100 grams8 grams, which is higher than the package label of 15 grams per 100 grams8 grams. The measured content of protein and fat does not meet the allowable error range of the national standard.
Shi Rong, Senior Engineer of Shanghai Nutritional Food Quality Supervision and Inspection Station:According to the relevant requirements of the national standard, the protein content was significantly lower than the labeled content, indicating that the consumption of this product was far from reaching the nutritional content it claimed, and its fat content was much higher than the labeled value.
R&D products are counterfeited, and it is difficult for scientific research institutes to protect their rights
On multiple e-commerce platforms, products developed in the name of agricultural research institutions and agricultural colleges and universities make it difficult to distinguish between real and fake. The Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences found that many products on some e-commerce platforms fraudulently used the logo and title of the Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
As early as a year ago, the Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences found that a store on an e-commerce platform had been selling a Ganoderma lucidum spore powder for a long time, and claimed that only the Ganoderma lucidum spore powder sold in the store was an internal product of the Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences. However, the Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences did not recognize this, so it entrusted its authorized enterprise to communicate with the e-commerce.
Wang Jiawei, Marketing Director of Authorized Enterprises Entrusted by Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences:The customer service falsely claimed that the boss was an employee of the (Shanghai) Academy of Agricultural Sciences, but there was no such situation after our verification with the Academy of Agricultural Sciences. At present, this ** is still selling products under the banner of Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences and our brand.
And there is more than one such situation.
Zhou Changyan, Director of the Achievement Transformation Division of the Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences:In 2022, we commissioned a law firm to conduct an investigation on the infringing use of our logo by some Internet e-commerce platforms, and found that more than 20 stores are still using the logo of the Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the sales of products related to the achievements of our Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
As a result, the Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences decided to defend its rights.
Zhou Changyan, Director of the Achievement Transformation Division of the Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences:We have also entrusted two (institutional) achievement transformation platforms to reflect to the relevant market supervision and management departments. But this situation still exists, and there is a lack of experience in these rights protections;The second aspect is actually relatively lacking in terms of human, material and financial resources, so it is difficult for us to do the corresponding rights protection behavior.
Legal experts said that the chaos of "food from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences" has had a negative impact on the reputation of many agricultural research institutes and infringed on the rights and interests of consumers. In this regard, the market supervision department should take the initiative to attack, and scientific research institutes should also dare to defend their rights.
Encounters"Falsification of academic qualifications"Snacks How to defend your rights?
So, how should the counterfeiting of products of scientific research institutes or the direct use of the name of scientific research institutes for counterfeiting?How can consumers protect their rights?Let's hear from legal experts.
Shan Feiyue, Professor, School of Law, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics:If the content of the advertisement and the quality of the product do not conform to the actual situation, then these acts constitute an infringement of the consumer's right to know.
Legal experts said that China's "Advertising Law" and "E-commerce Law" both clearly require that business operators shall not deceive or mislead consumers, and shall not carry out false or misleading commercial promotions. The market regulation departments, consumer rights and interests protection organizations, and e-commerce platforms shall all perform corresponding oversight and management duties and duties to protect consumer rights and interests for such conduct suspected of infringing on consumer rights and interests.
Shan Feiyue, Professor, School of Law, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics:In particular, platforms shall conduct corresponding supervision and management of the relevant acts of business operators on the platform.
Legal experts advise consumers to keep evidence when encountering such incidents, claim compensation from merchants or platforms, or complain to the market supervision and administration department and file a lawsuit with the people's court.
*: CCTV news client).