Japan Reviewing "Foods with Function Claims" System

   Tokyo, April 30 (Jiji Press)--A Japanese government panel is reviewing the system allowing food products to be labeled as having specific health benefits, in the wake of deaths and hospitalizations of users of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co.'s dietary supplements containing "beni koji" red yeast rice.
   Aiming to draft measures to overhaul the "foods with function claims" system by the end of May, members of the Consumer Affairs Agency expert panel are focusing on ensuring the safety of functional foods and clarifying standards for reporting health damage.
   Under the system, makers can obtain permission to make such claims by only reporting in advance certain scientific evidence regarding safety and functionality to the agency.
   The system has been criticized for leaving it entirely up to functional food makers to guarantee the safety of their products.
   The agency's current guidelines call for health damage to be reported swiftly. However, the unprecedented beni koji supplement problem had not been reported for some two months since the company discovered it.

(2024/04/30-18:34)

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