After the Surging News report, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Processing Institute clarified, and the platform removed the products.

Thepaper News Instant Test Lab

On April 1, Thepaper News published a report titled “It claims that by eating it you can look younger than young people, can target diseased areas, and suppress tumors—so the reporter bought it and unboxed it offline.” The reporter’s investigation found that this “Woshrui Mei” selenium tablet sold under the “Youxianmao” platform’s own brand is labeled with “Technical Support by the Institute of Food Processing, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences,” and it has falsely promoted anti-cancer benefits.

In response, on April 1, the Institute of Food Processing, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, issued an official statement regarding the matter. The institute said that in July 2024 it had signed a “Technology Development (Entrusted) Contract” with Nuokang (Shandong) Health Industry Co., Ltd., agreeing that the institute would conduct research on the functional food market for it and develop products; after receiving written permission, the products developed by the institute may use the wording “Technical Support by the Institute of Food Processing, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.” The contract also stipulated that without the written consent of the Institute of Food Processing, the wording above must not be used on products developed that are not by the Institute of Food Processing; otherwise, it would be deemed infringement. After verification, the selenium tablets in question were not developed by the institute, and the company’s conduct is already suspected of breach of contract and infringement.

The Institute of Food Processing, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said it will publish a statement through official channels and take legal measures to communicate with the company involved, in order to eliminate negative impacts.

In addition, a reporter from Thepaper News noted that the products involved have been removed from the “Youxianmao” platform.

According to a prior report, a health supplement called “L-selenium” sold in a private-domain livestream, which claims to have targeted technology that can inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells and cause them to undergo apoptosis, and can also act as an antioxidant and help improve issues such as nodules and tumors. After Thepaper News Instant Test Lab bought the product and unboxed it, it found that the price of this product is dozens of times higher than other similar products.

On the product details page, the product is referred to as “targeted ecological selenium,” claiming that it is provided with technical support by the Indian All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the Institute of Food Processing, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and the Hunan Asda Life Science Technology Research Center, and it is endorsed with a “scientific research advisor.”

However, the reporter was unable to find any connection between the Institute of Food Processing, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and “targeted ecological selenium.” In this regard, the reporter called the Institute of Food Processing, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. A staff member with the institute’s “achievement transformation office” said that they were completely unaware of this matter beforehand and that they need further investigation and confirmation.

The reporter’s investigation found that the operator behind the “Youxianmao” APP is Hunan Xiangzhi Technology Co., Ltd. The company was established less than a year ago. It is owned solely by Tan Hongliang. There are many health supplements and nutritional products sold on its APP. In addition, if you want to watch this private-domain livestream on the “Youxianmao” APP, you first need to pay 9.9 yuan to purchase a “newcomer exclusive package” to be able to watch it.

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