Regulatory round-up: New Zealand, India, South Korea, Taiwan in the spotlight

‘Health benefit claims don’t go far enough’: NZ industry body urges govt to follow claims made in Australia and Canada​​

Industry body Natural Health Products New Zealand (NHPNZ) said that being permitted to make health benefit claims “does not go far enough” ​to put locally produced natural health products (NHPs) on par with overseas competitors.

It was responding to an announcement by the government that NHPs will not be regulated as therapeutic products and can only make health benefit claims.

Responding to queries from NutraIngredients-Asia, ​New Zealand's Ministry of Health says that it is still working on the definition of health benefit claims. It previously stated that NHPs are intended to support health and wellbeing and are not medicines or foods.

India's new nutra regulations expand scope for NPD and imports – FSSAI’s ex-director​

New nutraceutical regulations operationalised by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) earlier this month will make it easier for companies to innovate and import a broader range of supplements, said a former director at the statutory board.

Pradip Chakraborty, a former director at the FSSAI, told NutraIngredients-Asia ​that this was because the new regulations have permitted more types of dosage formats and a higher permissible limit for certain ingredients.

The guidelines, which now cover a wider variety of nutraceuticals, will also allow companies to introduce new products to the market quicker.

South Korea drafts new regulations for saw palmetto and gingko leaf extract​

South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has drafted new regulations for saw palmetto fruit and gingko leaf extract which are now open for public consultation until June 10.

For saw palmetto, the new rules have stated that there should be 80 per cent or more fatty acids in the extract and the plant sterol composition should comprise of 0.2 per cent sterol and 0.1 per cent or more of beta-sitosterol.

As for ginkgo leaf extracts, the MFDS has adjusted the ratio of key flavonoids required.

Taiwan’s new regulations on aloe vera use in food, supplements to kick in next Jan​

Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration has announced new regulations on the use of aloe vera in foods and dietary supplements, which will kick in on January 1, 2023.

This follows the European Commission’s similar ban on aloe extracts and other hydroxyanthracene derivatives announced last year.​

Under Taiwan’s new regulation, aloe vera raw materials used in food must be derived from the leaves of the species of Aloe Ferox ​and Aloe Vera. ​

Regulatory landmines: Frucor Suntory exec on the challenges of meeting better-for-you beverage needs in APAC​

The regulatory landscape for better-for-you beverages still poses a significant challenge for brands, although the demand for less sugar and functional drinks is there.

That is the view of the Scientific and Regulatory Affairs Manager at Frucor Suntory, Dr Lesley Stevenson, who delivered the keynote presentation at our final Positive Nutrition Interactive Broadcast on better-for-you beverages, which can be viewed on demand here​.

She highlighted how firms need to be aware of the different regulations and permissions needed to innovate with healthier beverages, especially for the non-homogenous APAC region. This also applies to the ability to make claims and using sugar reduction tools.