Miss Grand International Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien earns $280K from misleading ‘vegetable replacement’ gummies

Tien, who was arrested Monday as part of a fraud investigation linked to Kera Supergreens Gummies, has been identified as one of the founders of Chi Em Rot, the company that owns the brand.

The company has sold over 135,000 boxes of the gummies for VND18 billion so far.

Tien allegedly deceived consumers since she always knew that the fiber content in Kera gummies was only 0.935%, significantly lower than advertised, according to investigators.

Miss Grand International 2021 Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien. Photo from Instagram/sungreen_photography

Yet she collaborated with influencers to spread misleading information to "inflate the product’s benefits," they said.

Her company used a third-party firm, Asia Life Company, to produce the gummies.

In February, after the public raised concerns about the fiber content of the gummies, Tien wanted to sign an advertising contract with Chi Em Rot to make herself look like merely a marketer and conceal her role as a founding shareholder.

Tien is among 10 people being investigated in the case.

The police said Kera gummies’ ingredients were "substandard." Nguyen Phong, chairman of Asia Life Corporation, directed his employees to buy vegetable powder with fiber content between 0.61% and 0.75%, but falsely claimed it was 28%, they said.

The candy contained 35% sorbitol, a sugar sweetener, and some undisclosed additives.

Nguyen Truc Thuy Tien (L) and two influencers promote Kera Supergreens Gummies on a livestream. Screenshot taken from the livestream

Consumers bought Kera gummies believing its marketing that claimed it aided digestion and was a laxative.

It did have a laxative effect, but from the sorbitol and not vegetable content.

The product was marketed through media and social platforms with misleading claims such as "one gummy replaces a plate of greens."

In December 2024 Tien announced her collaboration with two influencers to launch Kera.

On her social media page, which has over 2.6 million followers, she referred to the product as her "brainchild," posted promotional content and appeared in livestreams to sell it.

She described the product as convenient, nutritious and quality-certified, suitable for both children and adults, to convince consumers that the gummies could "replace vegetables in meals."

When a consumer questioned the candy’s ingredients and demanded accountability, she removed related posts from her social media.