The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) fined Aquapolyana LLC more than UAH 3.3 million for placing information about the medicinal properties of the product on the labels of Shayanska water without proper evidence, which could have given the company an unfair competitive advantage, the committee’s press service reported.
According to the report, during the investigation, the AMCU found that Aqua-Polyana distributed information on its product labels that could mislead consumers. In particular, the packaging of Shayanska water , unconfirmed medical indications for its use were indicated, including the treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers, hepatitis, cholecystitis, angiocholitis, chronic pancreatitis, as well as metabolic disorders such as obesity, gout, oxaluria, and phosphaturia.
Aqua-Poliana was unable to provide the AMCU with adequate evidence to confirm the medical indications stated on the Shayanska water label.
According to the Ukrainian Research Institute of Rehabilitation and Balneology of the Ministry of Health, some of these claims were not verified during clinical trials of the product.
In addition, according to a survey conducted by the AMCU, such information could influence consumers’ decisions to purchase water.
As a result, the company could gain a competitive advantage over other mineral water producers not through product quality, but through the dissemination of inaccurate data. For this violation, the company was fined UAH 3,316,752.
The company stopped spreading false info and provided an updated water label. This was taken into account when determining the amount of the fine.
