The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2025
A 'one candy replaces a plate of vegetables' claim jailed two Vietnamese livestreamers
Kera vegetable candy was sold on a fiber claim a lab test could not support: two Vietnamese livestreamers were fined, then prosecuted and detained.
Chị Em Rọt Group (CER Group) · Asia Life · Quang Linh Vlogs · Hằng Du Mục · 2025-04-03
What happened
In late 2024, CER Group — trading as Chị Em Rọt — launched Kera, a 'vegetable candy' promoted with the claim that one piece could replace a plate of vegetables. The launch leaned entirely on two of Vietnam's biggest livestream sellers, Quang Linh Vlogs and Hằng Du Mục, who pushed the candy on TikTok Shop to millions of followers.
A lab test found the fiber content was far below the claim: 0.51 grams per box of 30 pieces. In late March 2025, Vietnam's broadcasting regulator fined Quang Linh Vlogs and Hằng Du Mục 70 million dong each for misleading advertising, and the competition authority fined the company and a pageant queen for failing to disclose paid promotion — about 205 million dong against Chị Em Rọt in total.
On April 3, 2025, the Ministry of Public Security prosecuted and detained Quang Linh Vlogs, Hằng Du Mục and three others for 'deceiving customers' under Article 198 of the Penal Code. The chairman of Asia Life, which produced the candy, was charged with producing counterfeit food under Article 193.
The sales figures set the scale: 135,325 boxes sold at 150,000 dong between December 12, 2024 and March 19, 2025 — revenue of more than 20 billion dong (about 800,000 US dollars). The police investigation unit directed all buyers to contact it for guidance on getting their money back.
Why it happened
- The claim was the marketing: 'one candy replaces a plate of vegetables' was the entire pitch, and the lab result turned the pitch into a crime — deception, not exaggeration.
- Livestream power cut both ways: two of Vietnam's biggest sellers put the product into 135,325 homes, which is also the size of the victim list the prosecution had to answer.
- The fines arrived first and the prosecution nine days later: the advertising regulator and the criminal system treated the same claim as two different offences.
- The company's own sales figures became the evidence: 150,000 dong times 135,325 boxes is a fraud total, not a revenue line.
The lesson
A health claim was the product: Kera promised one candy replaced a plate of vegetables; the lab found 0.51g of fiber per box. The claim built the brand then emptied it — 135,325 boxes sold on a lie.
Aftermath
A lab test showed Kera candy contained 0.51g of fiber per 30-piece box, far below the 'one candy replaces a plate of vegetables' claim. In March, Quang Linh Vlogs and Hằng Du Mục were fined 70 million dong each for misleading ads, and Chị Em Rọt about 205 million dong. On April 3, the Ministry of Public Security prosecuted and detained the two influencers for deceiving customers under Article 198, and charged Asia Life's chairman with producing counterfeit food. Police counted 135,325 boxes sold at 150,000 dong, revenue over 20 billion dong, and sent buyers to investigators for refunds.
Sources
- Government News (baochinhphu.vn) — Hằng Du Mục and Quang Linh Vlogs prosecuted and detained over Kera candy
- VnExpress — Hằng Du Mục and Quang Linh Vlogs fined 140 million dong for false advertising
- Znews — How much Quang Linh Vlogs and Hằng Du Mục earned from Kera vegetable candy
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