Three food products found to be adulterated with substances not allowed for use in food

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The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has detected three food products that have been adulterated with banned and/or medicinal substances that are not allowed in food. The three products are:

Product Name	Banned and/or medicinal substances detected*
Lemo A Detox Slimming Sachets	Sibutramine
Lemo S Detox Slimming Sachets	Sibutramine
Lemo D Detox Slimming Sachets	Sennosides

*Information on these substances can be found in Annex

All three products are sold on various local e-commerce platforms and marketed as weight loss products with claims of fat burner, effective weight loss, appetite suppressant, detoxify, control hunger, help digestion, and acceleration of metabolism. SFA has worked with these online e-commerce platforms to remove the listings of the products and issued warnings to the respective sellers to stop selling the products with immediate effect.

Issued by the Singapore Food Agency

8 October 2024

Substance name	Information
Sibutramine	Sibutramine is listed in the Poisons Act (1938). It is a prescription only weight loss medicine banned in Singapore since 2010, due to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Other serious health consequences reported with its use include heart problems and central nervous system disorders (e.g. psychosis and hallucinations). Seizures have also been reported with sibutramine.
Sennosides	Sennosides is used for the relief of constipation and has not been assessed to be safe for use in food products. Common side effects of Sennosides may include abdominal pain, spasms, diarrhoea, and low potassium levels in the blood leading to muscle weakness and/or cramps. Prolonged use of Sennosides may lead to a lazy bowel (bowel muscles become too relaxed leading to less frequent bowel emptying, which may lead to long-term constipation) and dehydration.

Substance name

Information

Sibutramine

Sibutramine is listed in the Poisons Act (1938). It is a prescription only weight loss medicine banned in Singapore since 2010, due to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Other serious health consequences reported with its use include heart problems and central nervous system disorders (e.g. psychosis and hallucinations). Seizures have also been reported with sibutramine.

Sennosides

Sennosides is used for the relief of constipation and has not been assessed to be safe for use in food products. Common side effects of Sennosides may include abdominal pain, spasms, diarrhoea, and low potassium levels in the blood leading to muscle weakness and/or cramps. Prolonged use of Sennosides may lead to a lazy bowel (bowel muscles become too relaxed leading to less frequent bowel emptying, which may lead to long-term constipation) and dehydration.