抄録
There are various issues in the health foods industry in Japan. First is strengthening safety measures to prevent health damage derived from intake of health foods. In particular, novel ingredients and materials need to be assessed carefully for their safety. Second is the need for appropriate efforts under the Foods with Health Claims system. In some cases, “a systematic literature review to assess function claim”, a key of the system, fails to be properly performed and this may lead to serious problems. Labelling with willful misuse under the system of Foods with Nutrient Function Claims is also occasionally found. It will be difficult to maintain the reliability of the food protection systems unless these problems are promptly resolved. Third is the issue of relevance with labelling and advertising of health foods. Wordings that conflict with relevant laws such as the Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Presentations Act and the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Act have been found. In recent years, there has been a surge in consumer troubles associated with “periodical purchase” versus simply purchased as a “trial”. Therefore, the business ethics and compliance consciousness of distributors has been a recent topic for discussion. In addition, the reorganization of scattered industry associations associated with the health foods industry of Japan is an important subject for discussion.
