The Communications Authority has found 10 complaints about a TVB Plus health programme justified and issued TVB a strong admonition. It said the episode included information that could be inaccurate and misleading, with significant public interest and potential implications for public health.

A guest doctor told viewers that the minimum human requirement for fibre was zero, that people did not need vegetables and that they could remain healthy long-term without dietary fibre. The programme aired on March 9, 2026, and included a discussion about whether eating too few vegetables could cause constipation.

The Authority said the programme presented itself as clarifying misconceptions and providing health facts, so its factual statements were subject to accuracy requirements. It found that the episode did not explain the basis for the doctor’s advice or the population and circumstances to which it related. Without that context, viewers could take the claims as applying to the general public.

In its submission, TVB said the doctor’s views drew on a research paper examining meat-based diets among Pleistocene hunter-gatherers and other Arctic populations, whose distinctive genetic structures might be relevant. The Authority and the Department of Health noted that the research was not necessarily applicable to modern people generally.

The Department of Health said the programme lacked background and scientific supporting information. It considered some of the advice incomplete and at odds with its general advice on fibre and water intake, with the potential to confuse the public.

An end-of-programme disclaimer describing the content as personal opinions did not remove TVB’s responsibility to meet accuracy requirements, the Authority said. It also found that the hosts had not made reasonable efforts to check the advice: they could have asked whether it applied to everyone or only to people in particular circumstances or with specific health conditions, and reminded viewers to consider their own health and consult their family doctor.

The Authority reminded TVB to comply with the Code’s accuracy requirements and follow up on the programme’s handling of the advice.