A range of food and supplement products that claim to boost the immune system, prevent diabetes and ageing has come under the attention of the Japanese authorities.
The South Korean authorities have made a number of new suggestions for Health Functional Foods (HFF) regulations, such as allowing ginseng products to make liver health claims and expanding the sources of raw materials for making protein products.
Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has provided clearer guidelines on the classification of health supplements and quasi-medicines – two product categories which could similarly contain vitamins and minerals, but differ in the number of active...
The Food Safety and Standards Authority India (FSSAI) has issued new, stricter standards to govern the use of recycled plastic for food packaging after facing pushback from a group of concerned scientific experts.
The Indian food regulator is being urged to include on-pack ‘warning labels’ for sugar, salt and fats as part of its upcoming health star rating system for packaged foods.
Japan has announced stricter labelling regulations for soybean milk and other soy-related beverages with the aim of preventing fraudulent or exaggerated claims and ensure fair competition between brands in the very competitive local market.
Officials have reached an agreement to improve access of certain Australian supplements to the Vietnamese market, after a bureaucratic dispute threatened to hit trade.
This round-up features South Korea’s re-evaluation of co-enzyme Q10 and other ingredients use in health functional foods, China’s push for scientific reassessment of certain health foods, and Australia’s refusal to change amygdalin rules.
Policy chiefs in the Philippines have circulated guidelines for food firms to eliminate the use of Trans-Fatty Acids (TFA) in pre-packaged processed foods by next year, including prohibiting the use of on-pack claims such as ‘TFA-free’.
The South Korean government’s grand plans to overhaul local dairy policies and pricing systems have been met with major pushback from industry groups and confusion from farmers, with the ministry in charge calling on detractors to ‘clarify their misconceptions’...
Manufacturers of ‘solid beverages’ will need to follow a set of new rules, such as changing their product labels, to prevent consumers from confusing them as health foods or infant formula, said the Chinese authorities.
Researchers in Australia are calling for an overhaul over the regulations for toddler foods, claiming that 74% of products are ultra-processed, and that there has surge in discretionary snack launches over the past 25 years.
South Korea is re-evaluating the safety and functionality of co-enzyme Q10, squalene, and seven other ingredients’ use in health functional foods (HFFs) this year.
Health foods that claim to strengthen the immunity, aid memory improvement, alleviate physical fatigue etc may need to undergo scientific reassessment, such as redoing animal experiments or human trials, the Chinese authorities have proposed.
A total of 22 imported krill oil products – mostly from the United States – have failed the latest round of inspection by the South Korean authorities for mixing different oils in the products.
Australian regulators have ruled against changing the permitted levels of amygdalin and hydrocyanic acid (HCN) that can be present in supplements and TCM products, despite contradictions with what is allowed for food items.
India’s hemp industry is predicting a wave of product innovation, from protein bars to flavoured powders and snacks, in the wake of recent regulatory advances that will see hemp seed, oil and flour products classed as food for the first time.
Regulator Food Standards Australia New Zealand is seeking public comment on the use of 2’-O-fucosyllactose (2’-FL) produced using new genetically modified (GM) strains in infant formula products.
South Korean regulator the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) is removing spirulina’s skin health functional claim and has also changed the requirements of eight other raw materials.
From new hemp regulations in India, to Singapore’s sugary beverage control policy, and plant-based labelling in multiple countries, we bring you five must-know policies and regulations that look set to have a significant impact on the Asia Pacific food...
See our 10 most-read brand stories in the year of 2021, including developments from BioCeuticals, China TCM product Lianhua Qingwen, Swisse, and Malaysia’s Flavettes.
South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has developed a set of nutritional standards for specialised foods catered to the elderly and cancer patients.
Australia’s complementary medicines industry body said that a new advertising code introduced by the national regulator would be a step forward, but was still awaiting clarifications on some key sections.
See our 10 most-read regulatory stories of 2021, including Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) policies in India, South Korea’s monitoring of krill oil and probiotics, and new standards for fish oil in Thailand.
Australia’s complementary medicines industry is “in a good position” compared to many other countries when it comes to meeting China’s new customs regulations which will kick in next January, says a leading figure at the Therapeutic Goods Administration...
South Korea has introduced an ‘S mark’ certification for food products that have undergone review and been approved as elderly-friendly, with products for the ageing population being dubbed a ‘future food’ category for the country.
In this round-up, we will look at the regulatory updates across APAC, from new formats allowed for OTC vitamin and minerals in South Korea to probiotic regulations in different parts of this region.
Japan’s Food with Functional Claims (FFC) system has recorded its highest number of notifications at 691 products in the first half of the current fiscal year from April 2021 to September 2021, compared to 496 products in the corresponding period last...
South Korea is allowing vitamins, minerals, and supplements (VMS) to be made into more types of dosage forms, with jelly, film, and disintegrating tablets added into the list of permitted formats for VMS.
New Zealand’s food industry trade body will back plans put forward by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) to update genetically modified food regulations, arguing the rules are not becoming less strict, but instead take into account recent tech...
South Korea is going digital in its efforts to crackdown on imported kimchi and related products masquerading as being locally produced, after identifying a large leap in the imports of ingredients traditionally used to in the sector.
Taiwan is seeking to approve new regulations that will enforce tougher nutritional labelling regulations for all packaged foods in the country once implemented, in a bid to prevent ‘hidden’ or ‘implied’ messages from manufacturers regarding calorific...
Japan has urged all local food and beverage brands to ensure that processes are in place to transition to new origin of raw material rules, in order to keep operations running smoothly and avoid ‘disturbances’.
Kusum Healthcare, a pharmaceutical company based in India, has received approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for its wholly-synthesized vitamin C and zinc supplement.
South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has completed yet another clampdown exercise – this time round on advertisements of general foods and health functional foods that make claims in improving students’ memory and immunity.
Regulators across Asia Pacific are paying more attention to the rapidly growing probiotic market and have introduced new policies to keep up with the category’s development, said regulatory specialists on the third day of our Probiota Asia digital summit.
Australian supplements giant Blackmores has detailed the sustainability advances it has made over the past 12 months, spanning carbon reduction, packaging and supply chain improvements, but challenges persist, most notably around waste to landfill.
The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration has proposed new changes to the “Regulations on Nutrition Claim for Pre-packaged Food Products”, including specifying the protein, B vitamins, folic acid, and biotin requirements for different groups of individuals....
There are new updates to China’s customs registration, which will affect all food and supplements exports, with clearer information on the corresponding overseas authorities that are in charge of helping companies with their registration process.
Malaysia’s pending approval on palm tocotrienol’s antioxidant claims could help consumers gain a better understanding of the locally grown crop’s health benefits.
China has proposed new changes to its management of Foods for Special Medical Purposes (FSMPs), such as prioritising the assessment and registration of products catered to patients suffering from rare diseases, as well as reducing the duration of product...
South African firm Afraceuticals and its exclusive Australian distributor Pathway International are applying for a branded Pelargonium sidoides extract to receive regulatory approval in the country.
India’s Ministry of AYUSH has released a statement that advised against the use of ashwagandha leaves in Ayurveda and products for therapeutic purposes.
Australia’s regulator has identified weight loss and hangover cures products amongst its top priorities in its clampdown against problematic advertisements.
South Korea has made locusts the nation’s tenth approved edible insect, as well as publishing a new set of guidelines for the manufacturing of relevant products.
South Korea is tightening its watch over the quality of krill oil by proposing to follow the CODEX standards, including setting a minimum requirement for phospholipids concentration and limiting the amount of linoleic acid and myristic acid.
South Korea Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) is stemming the advertising of fermented milk as products with health benefits, such as improving intestinal and immune health, in its latest crackdown on probiotic-related products.