Celebrities promote dirty food: A trend that threatens people's health

Despite the fact that goods and food are of poor quality or fake, many celebrities still advertise them loudly, turning them into trends, causing customers to rush to buy, causing health risks and eroding consumer confidence.

Many people tend to believe in the advertisements of famous people online - Illustration: AI

Vietnam Report Company has just announced the Top 10 prestigious companies in the food and beverage industry in 2025. In the milk and dairy products group, leading brands include Vinamilk , TH TrueMilk, LOF, Nutifood, Vitadairy... In the confectionery and nutritional food group, there are Orion Vina, Mondelez Kinh Do, Perfetti Melle...

In addition to the rankings, Vietnam Report also published a lot of data showing the business picture and vibrant fluctuations of the food and beverage (F&B) industry in Vietnam.

Warning about the spiral of risk

Vietnam Report's survey shows that consumer behavior is changing. Purchasing decisions no longer depend mainly on brands or mainstream media, but are dominated by social networks and celebrities, influencers (KOLs/influencers).

More than 44% of consumers regularly try new F&B products. Of these, 79% are exposed to social media advertising and 31% are influenced by celebrities.

This trend shows that trust is shifting to influential individuals but there are many potential risks. The fear of missing out (FOMO) psychology makes consumers easily follow trends, while many KOLs accidentally or intentionally promote poor quality products.

Many KOLs lack expertise and only advertise under contract. Recommendations can easily become a double-edged sword: they can both boost sales and cause a backlash if the product is of poor quality.

This forces both businesses and celebrities to take responsibility, moving from the role of "promoters" to "testers" of products.

The risk also comes from online review systems. AI and review platforms are susceptible to manipulation, creating false data, fake comments, and fake ratings. Consumers who trust them will be misled just as much as those who follow trends.

Efforts to restore customer confidence

"Since the beginning of 2025, incidents related to 'dirty food' and 'fake food' have occurred continuously, leaving a deep mark on social psychology," said Vietnam Report.

The survey found that 98.6% of respondents were concerned about food safety when choosing products. This reflects the lingering aftershocks from the scandals, indicating that trust in the F&B industry has changed significantly.

Consumers are currently in a state of half-belief and half-doubt. The majority (61.2%) are quite trusting but still cautious, only 30% say they are very trusting, and 8.8% have completely lost trust.

When a crisis hits, generations react differently. Older generations are wary, even turning their backs on brands that have been embroiled in scandals.

On the contrary, Gen Z believes that in a crisis, businesses are under intense scrutiny, so products are safer, because brands are forced to restore their reputation. This thinking is controversial, and is considered lenient with dirty food.

Notably, 100% of businesses in the survey applied food safety standards across the supply chain, the most common being ISO 22000.

88.9% plan to upgrade their control processes in the second half of 2025, focusing on investing in technology, training staff, and tightening supply chain monitoring. Transparent traceability has also become an urgent requirement.

Business picture of F&B industry

According to Vietnam Report, in the first half of 2025, the business results of F&B enterprises in the survey showed clear differentiation.

In terms of revenue, only 39% of businesses saw growth, down sharply from more than 61% in the same period last year, while the decline rate increased to more than 45%. This reflects sluggish purchasing power, fierce competition and food safety concerns making consumers more cautious.

On the contrary, profits are more positive. 61.3% of businesses grew compared to 48.4% last year, while the decline rate decreased to 35.5%. Many businesses have optimized operations, controlled costs and adjusted product portfolios, maintaining profitability despite market fluctuations.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nguoi-noi-tieng-lang-xe-thuc-pham-ban-trao-luu-de-doa-suc-khoe-nguoi-dan-2025092217454075.htm