Domestic distribution of food containing ‘aloin’ 1,500 times the standard for health functional foods

Imported as other processed products that are not subject to health food standards... Management blind spot due to lack of safety standards

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Seo Han-ki = It was revealed that processed food 'Aloe Ferrox', which contains up to 1,500 times more aloin than the health functional food safety standard, is being imported and distributed domestically as a general food.

Aloin is an ingredient of concern for hepatotoxicity and genotoxicity, but it is pointed out that it is in a blind spot in safety management because there is no content standard for general foods.

According to the National Assembly audit data submitted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety by Rep. Nam In-soon (Democratic Party of Korea) of the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee on the 13th, two imported Aloe Ferox processed foods distributed in Korea were tested and the aloin content reached 1,300 to 15,000 mg/kg.

Compared to the standard standard for aloin in health functional food aloe products, which is 10 mg/kg or less, this figure is a whopping 130 to 1,500 times higher.

Aloin is a type of hydroxyanthracene derivative that stimulates the intestines and helps with bowel movements. However, it can cause abdominal cramps or acute hepatitis, and recently, genotoxicity and the possibility of colon cancer have been reported. Accordingly, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety excluded aloe whole leaves, which were previously a raw material for health functional foods, from the list of raw materials due to concerns about harm to the human body, and also significantly strengthened the standards for the aloin content of aloe gel, a health functional food, in line with international standards.

The problem is that in the case of general foods, there are no safety standards or inspection standards for aloin content.

Importers and manufacturers have dug into this management blind spot. Aloe ferox, also called 'Cape Aloe' or 'Red Aloe', is a variety that grows wild in southern Africa and has a much higher aloin content than existing edible aloe.

[Aloe Ferox Import Status by Item]

Year Number of items 2022 Other processed products 22 2023 Other processed products 15 2024 Other processed agricultural products 3 Other processed products 17 2025 Other processed agricultural products 2 Other processed foods (for foreign currency acquisition, etc.) 2 Other processed products 24 2026.8 Other processed agricultural products 3 Other processed products 7

Because it is difficult for Aloe Ferox to pass the health functional food raw material standards, there was no record of importing finished health functional food products. On the other hand, the number of imports in the form of general foods such as other processed products and other processed agricultural products increased significantly from 15 in 2023 to 28 in 2025. As of August 2026, the number of imports reached 10. It was confirmed that about 10 domestic companies are importing this product and supplying it as a supplementary ingredient for health functional foods such as diet products or distributing it as general processed food.

According to reports, the dried aloe ferox collected has an aloin content of up to 20%, and even after going through the process of extracting with water and powdering, it maintains a high content of aloin of 3 to 5%. The structure is to adjust the content by mixing excipients such as dextrin powder and then importing it through expedient means.

Based on the test results, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety recommended that the companies in question stop importing and distributing the product and announced that it was confirming the concentration coefficient through the manufacturer.

Rep. Nam In-soon pointed out, “We need to quickly establish overall safety standards along with limiting the use of high-risk raw materials disguised as general foods.”