20% Of Japanese "Functional" Foods Nix Health Claims

About 20% of the products in Japan's "functional foods" labeling system have withdrawn their claims due to a lack of scientific evidence or termination of sales, as reported by Yin Tanaka and Ayami Abe for Mainichi Shimbun.

Under the system, businesses can label foods' claimed health benefits by submitting scientific evidence about their safety and functionality to the government. I Photo: Yakult

The system, allowing businesses to label health benefits and other information under their own responsibility, was established as part of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's "Abenomics" growth strategy in 2015.

The latest development, disclosed by the Consumer Affairs Agency, underscores concerns raised from the outset over ensuring the safety of food products.

Under the system, businesses can label foods' claimed health benefits by submitting scientific evidence about their safety and functionality to the government.

Since only a notification is required, regulations are lax for these products compared to foods for specified health uses, which require national government screenings.

The agency guidelines mandate businesses to withdraw health benefit labels if they terminate production or sale of the items or if the scientific evidence of their safety or functionality is newly found to be insufficient.