Regulatory Framework of Health food in China
In accordance with the Order No.21 issued by President of the People’s Public of China concerning the Food Safety Law, companies who plan to place health foods on Chinese market must apply for and obtain a Health Food Approval Certificate from China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA). Foreign companies shall have a Chinese office or appoint a Chinese agent to deal with registration and obtain such certificate.
The current core legislations regarding health food registration are listed as follows:
| Legislation | Publish Authority | Implement Date |
| Food Safety Law (Order No.21) | President of the People’s Public of China | 1 October, 2016 |
| Advertisement Law (Order No.22) | President of the People’s Public of China | 1 September, 2016 |
| Administrative Measure on Health Food Registration(Trial) (Order No.19) | China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) | 1 July, 2005 |
| Provisions on the Application & Approval for Nutrient Supplement (Trial) (Notice No.[2005]202) | China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) | 1 July, 2005 |
| Provisions on the Application & Approval for Fungi-based Health Food (Trial) (Notice No. [2005]202) | ||
| Provisions on the Application & Approval for Probiotics-based Health Food (Trial) (Notice No.[2005]202) | ||
| Provisions on the Application & Approval for Nucleic Acids-based Health Food (Trial) (Notice No.[2005]202) | ||
| Provisions on the Application & Approval for Wide Animals & Plants-based Health Food (Trial) (Notice No. [2005]202) | ||
| Provisions on the Application & Approval for Amino Acid Chelate-based Health Food (Trial) (Notice No.[2005]202) | ||
| Provisions on the Application & Approval for Health Food Developed Through Separation Technique Using Macroporous Absorbent Resin (Trial) (Notice [2005]202) | ||
| Supplemental Provisions on the Application & Approval forHealth Food (Trial) (Notice No. [2005]202) | ||
| Requirements on the Application Dossiers for Health Food Registration (Trial)(Notice No.[2005]203) | China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) | 1 July, 2005 |
| Provisions on the on-site Inspection of Production Process and TestProcess(Trial)(Notice No.[2005]261) | China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) | 1 July, 2005 |
| Notice onProvisions and Guidancefor the Naming of Health Food(Notice No.[2012]78) | China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) | 15 March, 2012 |
| Notice on Tightening the Regulation of Raw Materials Used as Health Food Ingredients(Notice No.[2002]51) | Ministry of Health of the People’s Public of China (MOH) | 28 February, 2002 |
| Notice on Tightening the Regulation for Naming of Health Food (Notice No.[2015]168) | China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) | 25 August, 2015 |
| GB 16740-2014 National Standard Health Food | National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People’s Republic of China (NHFPC) | 24 May, 2015 |
Currently, most regulations focus on the health food registration which will take a really long time to complete, but on the other hand, the market supervision after registration is usually ignored. With the goal of shifting the emphasis from pre-market authorization (e.g. registration) to post market surveillance (e.g. casual inspection), below regulations pertaining to health food safety are expected to be released in 2016:
- Administrative Measure on Health Food Registration and Record
- Administrative Measure on Health Food Function Directory and Food Raw Material Directory
- Administrative Measure on the Labeling of Health Food
- Health Food Raw Material Directory
- Health Food Function Directory
- Supervision and Management on Cross-Border Electronic Commerce of Imported Food through Bonded Online Shopping
Chinese Consumption Trend of Health food in 2016
As a matter of fact, the significant change of the health food legislation in 2015 and the coming 2016 is partly due to the change of consumption trend. With the development of living standard, the consumption concept of Chinese customers on health product is changing. Based on the report from China's Health Care Association, 7 consumption trends of health food in the near future are collected and interpreted by CIRS.
| Consumption Trend | Cause |
| Return to rational consumption |
I. Newly updated regulations make the publicity and supervision more scientifically. II. All information is more public because of the internet. III. Leading manufacturers take the responsibility to promote rational consumption. |
| Pursue customized products |
I. With the development of Internet, customers’ health knowledge is accumulated. II. Leading companies begin to introduce personalized services. III. Advanced technologies can provide support for custom solutions. |
| Lack in advanced infant and pregnant women products |
I. “Two-child” policy in China has come into force. More families plan to have a second child, and most of them hope to get high quality products. II. R & D in such products is still lack of technical support at present. |
| Online and cross-border shopping become the first choice of young people |
I. Both cheaper and more extensive products can be chosen when shopping online or cross border. II. O2O mode will continue to develop and expand. |
| Pick up demand for herbal health food |
I. Acceptability for Chinese traditional herbal culture is 89% among customers over 40 in China. II. More leading companies begin to develop herbal health food. |
| Recovery in rural health food consumption |
I. Health care demand in rural area of China is huge. II. Rural Internet (mobile terminals) provides the shopping information and product channel. |
| Rapid growth in sports nutrition consumption |
I. Sports enthusiasts have stronger health consciousness and buying powder. II. Sports health food market in China has not been effectively developed. |
Contact us
Ms. Cathy Yu Team Leader of Food Safety and Regulatory Affairs Department, CIRS China
11F Dongguan Building, 288 Qiuyi Road, Binjiang District, Hangzhou, China, 310020
Tel : +86 571 8720 6538 | Fax : +86 571 8720 6533
Email: cathy.yu@hfoushi.com
