Back to Article List

South Korea - Solutions to the Issues Raised From Korea’s Food With Functional Claims System

South Korea

Oct 14, 2024

Major countries each have a type of foods with health claims (FHCs). For example, in the United States, there are ‘dietary supplements’; in China, ‘health foods’; in the EU, ‘food supplements’; and in Canada, ‘natural health foods.’ Each of these countries regulates its respective FHCs under a single law. However, Korea, like Japan, has 2 types of FHCs: ‘health functional foods (HFFs)’ and ‘foods with function claims (FFCs).’ HFFs are regulated under the Health Functional Foods Act, 2002, where the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) reviews and approves HFFs based on experimental data submitted by manufacturers regarding the product’s functionality and safety. On the other hand, FFCs are governed by the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods, 2020. FFCs are the general foods to which more than 30% of the daily recommended intake of HFF components has been added, and the resulting foods are approved by the MFDS without review, simply by reporting the product. However, since the implementation of the FFC system, numerous issues have been raised. This study aims to address these problems. To do so, we analyzed the FHC systems of the major counties. Based on this analysis, we propose 2 possible solutions. Solution A is to abolish the regulation of FFCs. The rationale is that FFCs, due to their insufficient levels of functional ingredients, do not contribute meaningfully to consumer health. Additionally, major countries only maintain one type of FHC. Solution B is to enact a law that integrates the regulation of both HFFs and FFCs. Under the unified regulatory system, these 2 types of products could be managed more efficiently. This law should include the following 3 elements: 1) Change the name from ‘foods with function claims (FFC)’ to ‘foods containing health functional food (FCHFFs)’; because the current FFCs do not guarantee the functionality of HFFs due to their insufficient content but contain it. 2) Limit the formula of the FCHFFs to drinks, snacks, or candies, rather than tablets or granules, to distinguish them from HFFs. 3) Include ‘fresh foods containing health functional ingredients (FFCHFIs)’, i.e. if agriculture or marine foods include health functional ingredients that meet standard amount, they can be approved as FFCHFIs. Solution B is deemed more realistic and, if implemented, is expected to help resolve the current issues with FFCs.

 

Author(s):  Heo SH.

Published in: Food Suppl Biomater Health.

 

 

For further information, click on the: https://e-fsbh.org/DOIx.php?id=10.52361/fsbh.2024.4.e15
Related Articles
See All News
Subscribe to our newsletter

The best industry insight in your mailbox

®