Regulatory review: Spotlight on Vietnam’s ads review, ANZ’s health star rating and more

Vietnam’s PM instructs health ministry review rules for functional foods advertising​

Vietnam’s prime minister has instructed the Ministry of Health to review rules on functional food advertising.

The move was in response to a request by Vietnam Association of Functional Foods (VAFF) to tighten the control of functional foods advertising.

In recent years, problematic advertising has soared alongside a burgeoning functional food market. Examples include misleading consumers into believing that dietary supplements have the same effects as medicines.

Kobayashi knock-on effect: Japanese functional foods businesses legally bound to four new rules from Sep​

Manufacturers of Foods with Function Claims (FFC) are legally bound to four new rules from September 1 – the latest move from Japan’s authorities following Kobayashi Pharmaceutical’s red yeast rice scandal.

One of the new rules require manufacturers to inform the Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) of new scientific findings related to the safety or effectiveness of their products.

This means that commercially available products would need to remove certain claims that are deemed inappropriate if new findings emerged.

China approved nearly 600 infant formulas in 2023 – new national standards data​

China approved nearly 600 infant formulas based on the new GuoBiao (GB) or national standards last year.

A total of 592 infant formulas and 97 companies were approved when the country fully transited to the new GB standards last year, the State Administration of Market Regulation (SAMR) said.

The new GB standards require firms to reformulate the number of calories, carbohydrates, proteins, and micronutrients. In the process, brands that were unable to meet the requirements had exited the market, leaving space for other players to grow.

Choking hazard: Australia proposes new labelling standards for large size supplements​

Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is proposing new labelling requirements for health supplements that come in a larger dosage size.

For instance, oral tablets with the length or largest dimension longer than 22 mm will need to show more information, such as instructions on how to consume the product on the labelling.

The proposal comes as the country sees a rise in choking cases related the consumption of large size supplements. Examples include calcium carbonate and vitamin D3 products.

‘Use it - or be made to’: ANZ ministers gives food firms 17 months to hit Health Star Ratings targets​

Health Star Rating (HSR) may become mandatory in Australia and New Zealand if the target of 70 per cent uptake rate is not met by November, said the authorities.

According to the latest “Uptake of the Health Star Rating” system report, the authorities have agreed that failure to meet the 70 per cent target will mean a reopened discussion to mandate the implementation of the system.

The HSR labelling system was first implemented back in 2014 on a voluntary basis​.