Latest news with #KeraSupergreens
Times
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Vietnamese beauty queen arrested over fake ‘health' gummies
When the famous model, actress and social media influencer known as Thuy Tien lent her name to a bright green health sweet, her fans and followers all over Vietnam hurried to buy supplies. Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien, 26, a former winner of an international beauty pageant, declared to her social media followers that a single one of the 'gummy' sweets contained the same amount of fibre as a plate of vegetables. Now she faces disgrace and potential imprisonment after the popular product was proved to be little more than a laxative pill. On Monday, Tien was arrested as part of the investigation into Kera Supergreens gummies, having already being fined for failing to disclose that she was paid for her enthusiastic endorsements of the product.
Independent Singapore
21-05-2025
- Independent Singapore
Miss Grand International 2021 Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien taken into custody for fibre supplement fraud
VIETNAM: Vietnamese beauty queen Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien, who won Miss Grand International back in 2021, was arrested on Monday! According to VNExpress , it's all tied to this investigation about tricking customers over those Kera Supergreens Gummies, the fibre supplement she was promoting. The 26-year-old beauty queen is under investigation for allegedly deceiving consumers, according to Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security. Tien co-owned Kera Supergreens Gummies with other investors, and authorities discovered that she controlled a 30% profit stake in the company. It was not just Tien promoting these gummies. She teamed up with two other influencers, Pham Quang Linh and Nguyen Thi Thai Hang, and they were all publicly talking about how great the product was back in December of last year. On her Facebook page, she was telling everyone that these gummies were a healthy snack and that just one gummy was like eating a whole plate of vegetables! She even said they were good for people of all ages. It turns out a customer was unsure about these gummies and decided to get them tested on their own at a place called the Quality Assurance and Testing Centre 2. And that's when the truth started to come out and all the controversy began. Each box of those gummies, even though it was supposed to have a good amount of fibre, actually only had a tiny 0.51 grams! That's way less than what they were saying. And after all the fuss started, Tien quickly took down all her posts promoting the gummies from social media. It turns out that the people in charge of food safety in Ho Chi Minh City did an official test on these gummies. They did this because the Food Safety Department, which is part of the Ministry of Health, asked them to. It sounds like the higher-ups were definitely concerned and wanted to get to the bottom of what was really in these things.
Telegraph
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Beauty queen sold ‘fibre' gummies laced with laxatives
A Vietnamese beauty queen and social media influencer has been arrested for promoting a fake supplement laced with laxatives to her millions of followers. Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien, a 27-year-old former winner of the Miss Grand International beauty pageant, was detained in Vietnam for consumer fraud on Monday after pushing the gummies, which she claimed were rich in fibre, across her social media platforms. At the time, Thuy Tien had a combined following of nearly 11.5 million people. Thuy Tien produced the gummies, which launched at the end of 2024, as part of a joint venture called Kera Supergreens Gummies with fellow content creators Pham Quang Linh and Hang Du Muc. The three influencers, who are active across Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and TikTok, would regularly livestream themselves promoting the gummies and claiming that they each contained an equivalent amount of fibre to a plate of vegetables. In livestreams, Thuy Tien would often refer to the gummies as her 'brainchild' and take credit that the 'Kera candy comes from me personally'. She even said that she developed the product because 'I myself cannot eat vegetables' and would recommend 2-3 pills per day for young children and pregnant mothers. However, a few months after the release, one customer decided to send the supplement to a lab to be tested and found that each gummy contained only 16mg of fibre, a fraction of the 200mg that had been advertised. They also found that the product was 35 per cent sorbitol, which is used as a laxative. According to police, over 135,000 units of the product were sold to more than 30,000 customers, generating revenues exceeding VND17 billion (approximately £489,112). The three influencers were initially fined in March and apologised, but the following month Pham and Hang Du Muc were arrested alongside other representatives from Kera and its manufacturer, including the head of quality assurance and head of production. Thuy Tien, a well-known celebrity in Vietnam, was not arrested until Monday, but she wiped several of her social media accounts in March. During the investigation, Thuy Tien reportedly admitted that she initially had 'good ideas' for the product and has been eager to 'participate in the management'. 'When you are a famous person, your responsibility is very big. People will buy this product a lot because of you,' she was quoted as saying in her defence. Thuy Tien has received numerous accolades from Vietnam's ruling Communist Party, including a certificate of merit from the prime minister and the Outstanding Young Vietnamese Faces award presented by the central committee of the Ho Chi Minh communist youth union.
The Independent
20-05-2025
- The Independent
Vietnamese beauty queen arrested over counterfeit fibre gummies
A Vietnamese beauty queen has been arrested as part of a consumer fraud investigation tied to a dietary supplement she promoted. Authorities say Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien co-owned and marketed the Kera Supergreens Gummies, advertised as a fibre-rich health snack. But tests revealed they contained far less fibre than claimed and relied instead on laxatives to produce effects. The product was declared counterfeit after it was found to contain substandard ingredients and promoted with misleading slogans, including the claim that each gummy was 'the equivalent of one plate of vegetables' and suitable for all ages. A former Miss Grand International 2021 titleholder, 27-year-old Ms Nguyen is a prominent public figure in Vietnam who has previously been recognised with honours from the government. Ms Nguyen promoted the Kera Supergreens Gummies alongside social media influencers Pham Quang Linh and Hang Du Muc. Investigators later revealed the product was part of a joint venture between Ms Nguyen and a company founded by the two influencers. Over 135,000 units were sold, generating more than $650,000 (£533,000). However, when a concerned customer sent the product for independent lab testing, results showed each gummy contained just 16mg of fibre – far below the advertised 200mg. This prompted a formal investigation, which uncovered the use of substandard, low-fibre ingredients in production. Authorities also noted the packaging failed to disclose both the actual fibre content and the presence of high levels of sorbitol – an artificial sweetener commonly used in laxatives – misleading consumers about the gummies' true digestive effects. In response to the public backlash, Ms Nguyen deleted all promotional content related to the product from her social media accounts. At the ministry of health's request, the Ho Chi Minh City food safety management authority conducted an official analysis. Although the gummies' sugar, protein, fat, and energy levels were consistent with the manufacturer's registered claims, authorities found that the packaging omitted any mention of fibre content, despite being marketed as a fibre supplement. As a result, the product was officially classified as counterfeit. Ms Nguyen and fellow influencers admitted to making false claims, and several individuals, including Ms Nguyen, now face charges for deceiving consumers. While all three influencers – Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien, Pham Quang Linh, and Hang Du Muc – were fined and issued public apologies in March, Vietnamese authorities escalated the case in April by arresting Mr Pham, Ms Hang, and company officials for producing counterfeit goods and defrauding customers. On Monday, Ms Nguyen was arrested for allegedly deceiving consumers. Earlier, she was fined 25 million VND (approximately $960) for endorsing the product. The Miss Grand International organisation has yet to publicly comment on the developments surrounding Ms Nguyen. The Independent has reached out for comment from the Thailand-based international beauty pageant organisers. Born in Ho Chi Minh, Ms Nguyen studied hospitality management at Vatel France. She experienced a challenging childhood, according to the Miss Grand International website, growing up without her parents, who divorced when she was four years old.
