New Zealand is now a step closer to a new regulatory environment governing natural health products, now that the authorities have introduced the long-awaited Therapeutic Products Bill in parliament.
The Malaysian palm oil sector believes there is little prospect of seeing market growth in the coming year due to labour, economic and climate challenges.
This regulatory round-up will look at policy updates relating to proposed kava labelling requirements in the Oceania, the ban on celebrity endorsement of health foods in China, and South Korea’s Foods for Special Medical Purposes (FSMP) ambitions.
Changing the labelling requirements on kava would place “unreasonable and unnecessary” burden on companies, but authorities could do with post-market surveillance, Fiji Kava said in response to the ongoing regulatory debate on kava in the Oceania.
Dietary supplement use among Americans is an all-time high, with the US being the leading worldwide importer of vitamin products last year. With an estimated 90% of ingredients coming from China, US policymakers are zeroed in on foreign policy.
South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) is planning to amend the Korean Pharmacopoeia to include a new variety of liquorice bred locally.
NMN, an anti-aging ingredient, has been disallowed by FDA because of its prior investigation as a drug. The determination, which came as something of a surprise given the ingredient’s market history, has raised questions of fairness and transparency.
The Japanese government has implemented tighter regulations for organic food imports, with firms required to appoint specific personnel and use standard organic certification labels to avoid being rejected.
Health supplements brands are prohibited from engaging celebrities to endorse their products, the Chinese authorities have again warned, in a move which an expert says is targeted at a ‘grey area’ for overseas brands.
Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI), Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), Estimated Average Requirement (EAR), and Tolerable Upper Intake Level (TUL) have been used by different health authorities to find out the appropriate nutrient intake.
South Korean regulator, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), is set to detail the manufacturing standards for five more types of Foods for Special Medical Purposes (FSMP).
The Thai government has announced new regulatory edicts specifying tighter regulatory control over the use of hemp and CBD in food and seasonings, just three months after announcing the decriminalisation of cannabis in the country.
Different regulatory capabilities, diverse economic background, and protection of national interest are some of the key factors slowing down the ASEAN harmonisation of traditional medicines and health supplements technical standards.
The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing to remove animal studies and revamp the human clinical trial requirements for health foods that make tooth health claims.
South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has begun a one-year long inspection order on specific probiotics products imported from North America and Denmark.
Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering the use of 2’-fucosyllactose (2’-FL) fermented from two new microbial strains in all infant and toddler food products, including Foods for Special Medical Purposes (FSMPs).
Less than half of the Health Functional Foods (HFF) reported to have caused adverse health events were recalled in South Korea between 2018 and June this year, according to official data.
“I think it’s really important for the field to understand what the baseline understanding and criteria are for these substances so that the whole scientific and commercial and regulatory world can coalesce around definitions that make the most sense,”...
The South Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) appears to have succeeded in persuading the domestic dairy industry to engage with its plans for national reforms – but is the very public beef between both sides truly over?
Afghanistan continues to battle extreme stunting and maternal malnutrition, with a combination of economic, political and social factors creating a perfect storm that shows no signs of abating.
Thai researchers have urged the local government to implement better enforcement and consumer awareness initiatives to prevent its trans-fats elimination policy from fizzing out in failure, despite its promising start.
China will implement stricter food safety and quality regulations for non-alcoholic beverages and dairy products, citing strict standards and requirements over areas such as sensory characteristics and ‘real’ product content.
South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has proposed to allow a blood pressure related claim in health functional foods (HFF) containing garlic.
The US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has refuted claims that it would be postponing all infant formula import applications under its expedited scheme.
China has relaxed entry rules for ‘low risk’ food and beverage imports that ‘test positive’ for COVID-19, citing the virus’ short survival time on packaging surfaces.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Health is intending to regulate natural health products via a self-assessment / declaration process, a move welcomed by the local industry body.
The South Korean government has announced that it will no longer be working with one of the nation’s largest dairy industry associations, the Korea Dairy Beef Cattle Association, in its plans to reform the sector, citing a ‘lack of trust’ and ‘damaged...
China’s State Administration of Market Regulation (SAMR) is seeking to expand the current list of approved health claims and has convened a public consultation on potential new additions.
The Health Supplements Industry Association of Singapore (HSIAS) has voiced its support for a newly introduced voluntary notification scheme, explaining that it could support the credential of locally made products in both domestic and overseas markets....
South Korean food and drug authority is planning to expand the current list of health claims under the health functional foods (HFF) system to include hair health.
China seeking new methods to test laxatives, beta-blockers in health foods, New Zealand industry body objecting government’s recommendations to schedule levomefolate, and India’s mandatory traceability policy on vegan products are some of the latest APAC...
Chinese regulator State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has sought public input for methods to detect the presence of laxatives and beta-blockers in health foods and general foods.
Trade body Natural Health Products New Zealand (NHPNZ) said it would object the government’s recommendation to schedule products containing over 500mcg of levomefolate as pharmacy-only products, explaining that this could hamper export opportunities.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority India (FSSAI) has specified supply chain traceability up to the manufacturer level as a key criterion for food firms manufacturing vegan products to obtain the relevant regulatory permissions.
Australia’s Healthy Care and Canada’s Jamieson Laboratories were the few overseas firms to receive China’s health foods filing approval in the first seven months of 2022, according to a new report.
The Thai authorities have stressed that stringent control measures will be enforced as more food and beverage firm seeks to use cannabis-derived ingredients, amid claims that 30% of products contain higher than permitted tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels.
Danone New Zealand and Australia-based Bellamy’s Organic are the latest to receive the US FDA’s approval to supply infant formula to the country amid its shortage crisis.
Malaysia’s regulator is conducting a public consultation on how manufacturers of traditional medicines and health supplements could validate the amount of active ingredients claimed on the product label.
This round of regulatory review will look at the development in halal trade opportunities for nutraceuticals, Taiwan FDA’s policy drafts for the use of fish oil, red yeast rice and more.
Supplement companies must enact policies to fight and prevent modern slavery across their supply chains, ensure clear accountability and governance structures, and coordinate efforts to increase education on modern slavery among staff and suppliers.
The authors of a recent review assert that all diet-related chronic diseases are linked to the microbiome but there is limited consideration of these interactions in contemporary dietary guidelines.
The South Korean government has imposed tougher criteria on ready-to-eat (RTE) and ready-to-cook (RTC) instant products that want to make healthier nutritional claims on pack, in an expansion of rules first placed on instant noodles earlier this year.
