EAS seminar addresses claims regulations in Asia

Participants from the food and nutrition industry, academics and regulators attended a seminar on health claims regulations for functional food in Asia on June 5.

Organized by international food and nutrition regulatory consultancy EAS, the seminar covered the regulatory frameworks across the region for functional food; the types of health claims permitted in selected Asian markets and the requirements for making different types of health claims.

EAS Asia staff presented international developments on health claims at Codex Alimentarius level and offered useful advice on a strategic approach for companies planning to make health claims on their products in Asia.

“In general, the industry is concerned about the regulatory approval process for ingredients and innovative products,” said Daniel Tsi, EAS Asia Regional director.

“We are still a long way from regulatory harmonization of these areas across SE Asia and Asia as a whole. Therefore, it is important to know the regulatory boundaries.”

Says EAS Europe Regulatory adviser Pieter Lagae: “Although there is agreement that the claims regulation will drastically alter the marketing of nutritional products in Europe, many companies are still unsure of the appropriate route forward, as a number of aspects of the claims regulation are still either being developed or yet to be clarified for the sector.”

To help companies navigate these regulatory mazes EAS has released two guides to help companies build successful regulatory strategies to enter the Asian and European nutritional product markets.