On September 8, 2023, CNHFA organized an industrial symposium in Beijing focused on health food function management. The event was attended by key figures in the industry, including Fan Hongping, Deputy Director of the Special Food Department at the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR); Wan Chao, Director of the Health Food Registration Department; Zhang Yanyang, Director of the Health Food Regulation Department; Li Yaqi, Grade 3 Researcher of the Health Food Registration Department; Zhang Lanlan, Deputy Director of the Center for Food Review; Liu Hongyu, Director of the Health Food Function Review Department; Bian Zhenjia, President of CNHFA; Li Liangqiu, Executive Vice President of CNHFA; Zhang Zhongpeng, Secretary General of CNHFA, along with representatives from 30 member enterprises. The event attracted nearly one hundred participants in total.
During the symposium, discussions revolved around health food product management concepts, the implementation of measures, and specific requirements outlined in recently released documents, including the Implementing Rules for Technical evaluation of New Functions and Products of Health Food (for Trial Implementation) (referred to as the Implementing Rules), the Catalogue of Health Functions Permitted to be Claimed by Health Food: Non-Nutrient Supplements (2023 Edition) (referred to as the Catalogue), and related documents. The platform allowed for a comprehensive exchange of ideas on industry-related concerns.
Fan Hongping provided insights into the background, principles, and upcoming focus areas of the documents. He emphasized that the Implementing Rules represent a significant initiative aimed at promoting research and development of new functions and products in the health food sector. It also seeks to reform the traditional approach to evaluating function claims in health food management, driving industrial innovation through systemic changes. The Catalogue, on the other hand, serves to further standardize health food function claims management, assign primary responsibility to enterprises in function claims and R&D evaluations, and achieve a scientifically dynamic management system of the Catalogue.
Zhang Lanlan addressed the audience on the practical implementation of the document's spirit and the importance of effective technical review. She highlighted the Center for Food evaluation's commitment to this task, with an organized effort across relevant departments to systematically study, streamline various work processes, and facilitate the review of new functions.
President Bian Zhenjia concluded that the recent release of health food function management documents is the general tone of the State Administration of Market Regulation to adhere to stability and progress, focus on expanding domestic demand, building a modern industrial system, and promote a high level of opening up to the outside world. It is an important measure to accelerate the construction of a new development pattern of health food industry and promote high-quality development. It is a concrete manifestation of achieving sustained overall improvement in economic performance and ensuring steady growth, stable employment and stable prices. While greatly boosting the confidence of the industry, it also points out the direction for the healthy development of the industry, and will be a milestone in the history of health food development.
President Bian pointed out that scientific positioning and data support are the core of development. Whether it is the development of new functions, the declaration of existing functions, or the continuation of old products, it needs to be based on solid scientific research. Product development positioning, but also based on the support of data, from the data demonstration in research and development to the authenticity of the research after the listing, the government, research institutions, industry organizations and enterprises need to jointly invest, discuss and form a consensus. President Side proposed to firmly register the dual-track system, dynamic development is the regulatory program. More importantly, health food should be reformed and innovated, and it is necessary to move forward cautiously and do a good long-term strategy. President Bian suggested that member companies should fully study the legal documents, correctly understand the management requirements, and contact the association in time if there is a problem. At the same time, it is also hoped that the regulatory authorities will carry out more exchanges with the industry, strengthen the publicity and interpretation of regulatory documents, and lead the healthy development of the industry.
In order to help the participating industry enterprises correctly understand the regulatory requirements, the meeting set up a Q & A session. The representatives of the participating enterprises asked questions based on the understanding of the regulatory documents, combined with the situation of the enterprises themselves. Deputy Director Fan Hongping, Deputy Director Zhang Lanlan, Director Wan Chao and Director Liu Hongyu carried out detailed answers.
In the next step, the association will continue to play the role of an industry bridge, continue to follow up the implementation of policies and the development of the industry, collect and sort out common problems of enterprises, organize and carry out special studies, form industry consensus or industry plans, and report to the Center for Food evaluation and Dept. of Special Food Safety Supervision & Management. And the association will according to the actual situation, timely carry out policy publicity and industry exchange activities.
Regarding the new functions of health food, health function catalog, health food certificate replacement transition and other related issues, member enterprises can sort out and feedback to the association regulation email: regulation@cnhfa.org.cn, with the email subject marked as “health food function related issues”.
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