In order to thoroughly introduce health food, Global Foodmate has deliberately organized and collected special topic about health food for this week. In this week, Global Foodmate will introduce the health food with a series of articles. The topic will cover introduction, market, regulations, registration, and Q&A of the health food. This is the third article of the series, mainly compiled the health food raw materials and auxiliaries requirement.
The definition of health food in GB 16740-2014 “National Food Safety Standards for Health Food” is: foods that claim to have specific health functions or supplement vitamins and minerals. Namely: It is applicable to foods for specific groups of people, improving body regulating function and not treating diseases, and does not produce any acute, sub-acute or chronic harm to the human body.
The main raw materials and accessories for the production of health foods can be broadly classified into permitted use, prohibited use and remained unclear 3 types. The details are as follows:
1. Permitted use raw materials and auxiliaries
Clearly permitted use health food raw materials and auxiliaries
“The list of articles that are both food and drugs” includes more than 100 kinds of raw materials such as cloves, yam, and hawthorn, and “the list of articles that can be used for health food” includes more than 100 kinds of raw materials including ginseng, panax pseudoginseng, and gastrodia elata.
It should be noted that the items listed in the “List of Items Usable for Health Food” are limited to health foods and may not be used as ordinary food raw materials.
In December 2016, the China Food and Drug Administration released the “Catalogue of Raw Materials for Health Foods (1)” that lists substances that can be used as raw materials for health foods.
In April 2017, the China Food and Drug Administration formulated the “Regulations for the Use of Supplementary Materials for Health Foods Products in Records (Provisional)”, which clearly stipulates: More than 100 types that can be used in health foods including gum arabic, glacial acetic acid, etc.
Common food materials that can be used for health foods
The raw materials used in ordinary foods can also be used in health food. When using them, they must meet the requirements from "Notice Concerning Compilation of Guidelines for Technical Requirements for the Registration of Raw Materials for Health Food Registration (First Version)".
List of fungi and probiotics that can be used for health food
The production of health foods using fungi and probiotics as raw materials shall comply with the "Regulations for the Application and Review of Fungal Health Foods" and the "Provisions for the Application and Review of Health Foods for Probiotics," but not including those genetically modified.
New food materials, nutritional enhancers and food additives
The new range of food ingredients and new food additive types that are clearly applicable to be used as raw materials for health foods.
The use of food additives should comply with the provisions of GB 2760, the use of nutritional enhancers should comply with GB 14880 and(or) the relevant provisions.
Other raw materials with special requirement
l Use nucleic acids as raw materials to produce health foods;
l Production of health foods using wild animals, plants and their products as raw materials;
l Amino acid based chelates, direct production using microbial fermentation, melatonin, soybean phospholipids, aloe vera, ants, use alcohol as carrier, chitin, superoxide dismutase (sod), animal based raw materials, rhodiola, pollen, spirulina and dendrobium as raw materials for health foods;
l Health foods such as red yeast rice, selenium, and chromium are used as raw materials;
l In addition, artificially cultivated licorice, ephedra, cistanche, and snow lotus and their products are used as health food ingredients.
2. Prohibited use raw materials and auxiliaries
The prohibition of raw materials for health foods that are prohibited by the Ministry of Health mainly includes more than 100 species such as octagonal lotus, Balichi, and Qianjin.
Since September 14, 2001, the Ministry of Health no longer approves health foods produced from bear bile powder and creatine.
The use of wild licorice, ephedra, Cistanche, and snow lotus and their products as health food ingredients is prohibited.
3. Remained uncleared raw materials and auxiliaries
Different levels of toxicity tests need to be carried out on raw materials or ingredients, and the relevant information needs to be submitted in accordance with the “Notice of the General Administration of Administration on the Issuance of Guidelines for Service Registration of Health Food Registration”.
