SEMANA reveals what is behind the Invima warning calling for these products to be withdrawn from the market. Its creator protects himself

When she became pregnant, which often happens to millions of women, Venezuelan Chasca Barbosa gained several kilograms. But, determined to restore her figure, after the birth of her daughter Avril, she took to the task of creating a kind of diary on her social networks, in which she documented the diets and exercises she did, with which she got visible results. Her motto: Make women fall in love with fitness culture.

After overcoming that first individual challenge, he embarked on a new adventure: taking first place in two divisions of the competition. National Physical Committee (NPC). It was August 2013 and Sasha won the ‘bikini’ and ‘most feminine without too many muscles’ awards. Since then, her name has become the must-have brand for health and healthy living in much of America: Saska Fitness.

According to his website, this influencer Personal fitness trainerISSA (International Sports Science Association) certified, Spanish Bodybuilding Federation and Master’s Degree in Fitness Nutrition Studies in Sports Nutrition.

Moved by that recognition, has begun to develop a line of products that, according to what is read on its website and social networks, promises a wide range of benefits: Boost immunity and increase energy levels. Additionally, these products claim to contain enzymes that help improve digestion when consumed, preventing constipation, abdominal discomfort, gas and bloating.

Under these promises, Sasca Fitness products have been marketed as food products for years in Colombia and other countries in the region, and their buyers are especially women. They represent your largest market.

But this June, the National Agency for Food and Drug Monitoring (Invima) surprised Colombians with a warning about these products. The health agency said it had received an anonymous complaint, so it went to check if they were complying with current regulations.

“The complaint has been registered on the company’s website, where they have reported marketing and advertising through the Saska Fitness Columbia website, with food products without health records and unauthorized statements,” says a source from the Directorate of Drugs for a week.

According to the source, “Once a complaint is received (only one is enough to open an investigation), it is verified and analysed. Depending on the type of product and the characteristics of the complaint, the evaluation is carried out following the relevant current health regulations. In the assessment, it is checked whether the product is registered or the company listed as the manufacturer is accredited. And the pages and websites where they are advertised and marketed are reviewed. As a result of these reviews, health warnings are issued to protect public health within the framework of Act 9 of 1979.

Not one, but two warnings have been issued so far in June. What Invima found was that Saska Fitness products were advertised as products that offered various benefits to the body and promised to provide high protein levels to help consumers increase, decrease or maintain muscle mass. In this case, the company says, it will not be food, for which it published a health registry several years ago, but drugs, in a registry where these products do not exist in the country. So he asked me to stop using it.

Another objection by Invima is that the information provided on the packages is in English, when Colombian Ministry of Health regulations require it to be in Spanish. , what are the benefits, but not only the contraindications when consuming them.

Sasha fights back

The influencer denied that the marketing of his products in Colombia was improper, and explained exclusively to SEMANA that these are “made in the United States, in laboratories of the highest quality.” In addition, they are inspected by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA, for its English acronym) of that country, with high-level certifications and all processes are tested and certified under ISO 17025,” Barbosa says.

And he assures the magazine that his products are “good habit boosters, each with different functions, for those who lead healthy and active lives.”

Faced with an indication that information about their content is in English, Venezuela assures that they are “manufactured in the United States under that country’s regulations, so the label is in English.”

According to Barbosa, another factor that the authorities have to take into account is the “black market and goods entering from door to door. It doesn’t have a label, and that comes with a lot of confusion.”

However, Invima clarifies that the warning is not issued on counterfeit products and only on genuine products that, according to the complaint, do not fulfill the sales promise they are marketed for.

At this point, a third protagonist enters the fray, the importer and distributor of these supplements in the country: Green Performance. In a statement dated June 6, the company alleged that the brand’s products are manufactured in the United States and “imported to Colombia, so regulations regarding the marketing of food and supplements differ at some points.”

Role of Monitoring Institutions

The point is somewhat true. There are a total of eight drug and food inspection agencies in the United States. The FDA in the US is so famous that warnings issued against Saska Fitness products can even lead to criminal sanctions.

But there are others with Invima in Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Colombia. “They are all equally important and have received scientific approval from the World Health Organization (WHO) for their activity. Therefore, it is not valid to say that Colombia’s Invima cannot issue a warning to the contrary because the FDA has approved it,” says a national agency source.

For Invima, The real underlying concern should be the risks to consumer health from consuming products that do not meet food additive category standards.

“Within the framework of Decree 3249 of 2006, fraudulent products of unknown composition that are not supported by the health register, there is no knowledge of the conditions of their storage, transportation and distribution in the country, They pose a health hazard to those who consume them. For example, in people with cardiovascular diseases, hypersensitivity reactions, gastrointestinal problems, poisoning, severe liver dysfunction can occur. Invima explains.

Therefore, he reiterates the importance of keeping adequate records. “Products classified as dietary supplements have been studied and analyzed for contamination with substances hidden in their ingredients, such as corticosteroids and pain relievers or other chemicals that may affect the health of consumers.” For now, the distributor says it has made “adjustments to product labelling”. But it is not that simple. The last word belongs to Invima.