Since 2005, units present at the inter-agency meeting on food safety carried out special rectification on health foods with the focus on illegally added drugs, counterfeit and inferior products and false promotions. According to market monitoring, it can be seen that China's health food market has been further standardized and special rectification on health food safety has made phasic progress.

Provisions for Health Food Registration (interim) and related auxiliary documents issued by SFDA were put into effective on July 1, 2005 to ensure the quality of health food from its origin. In order to ensure the faithfulness of documents and samples submitted, food and drug regulatory departments carried out on-site inspection on sample-making sites and trial-test sites of newly submitted products. SFDA improved the review process to improve the efficiency. It reformed the methods for selection of experts for Health Food Reviewing Committee and established a talent pool comprised of experts in health food evaluation sector. With an aim to eliminate false advertisements and promotions on health foods, SFDA also issued and implemented the Interim Requirements for Health Food Advertisement Reviewing, which requires that no health food advertisements can be released without getting an approval from the related department since July 1, 2005.

The Ministry of Health carried out special rectifications on health food production enterprises, health food instructions, labels and health food safety, and suspended enterprises that failed to meet the Good Manufacturing Practice of Health Foods and announced the list of 897 qualified enterprises publicly.

The State Administration for Industry and Commerce also carried out special law-enforcement inspection on distributors of health foods. It announced the special rectification themed on "attacking the counterfeit products and building a faithful image" and punished 3364 false advertising cases of health foods.

Although the special rectification on health foods has made phasic progress, the situation is still severe at present. Production and sales of counterfeit and inferior health foods still exist in some areas, and illegal advertisement and promotion of health foods are still obvious. A complete market entry, transaction and withdrawal mechanism of health food hasn't been formed yet, and self-protection and self-discipline consciousnesses of customers and operators still need further enhancement.

In respect to above-mentioned problems, member units of the inter-sectoral meeting indicated that they would further enhance the working strength. In respect to reviewing process, food and drug regulatory departments will further improve the system for the management of health food registration and technological standard system. They will also renewal the certificates of health foods given before July 1,2005, set valid period and carry out dynamic management. In respect to market supervision, the Ministry of Health will supervise and urge local departments to carry out the special rectification, and release the inspection results to the public timely. They will deal with illegal actions such as illegally adding of drugs to health foods and enhance the publicity strength to the consumers. The State Administration for Industry and Commerce will strictly control the entry of operators of health foods, and establish a complete system for self-discipline of health food dealers.

Source: SFDA