Chapter 24 - Regulation of Functional Foods in Selected Asian Countries in the Pacific Rim

Abstract

The diet-related chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease and diabetes, have been on the rise in the Asian countries in the Pacific Rim. This is especially pronounced among the urban communities due to adopting Western-style diet and pace of living. To combat chronic diseases, the nutritional trends have changed dramatically during the last two decades. There has been greater focus on the preventive role of nutrition and food with health benefits, such as functional foods. In response to consumer trends, the industry increased efforts to produce foods, which possess “specific health care abilities”. Functional foods were also imported from other countries such as China, Japan and Europe. To control production and movement of this food category, many Asian jurisdictions in the Pacific Rim including South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia have succeeded to develop regulations for the production and use of nutraceuticals and functional foods. Some other countries either utilized the existing global regulations or still have been working on the development of a new system. Although most of the countries in the region adopted the Codex Alimentarius definition, functional foods may have divergent meaning in various countries. The term “functional foods” may include health and functional health foods, foods that are fortified with minerals and vitamins, dietary supplements or even traditional Chinese medicine.