45 Functional Ingredients for Health Supplements Approved Last Year... Twice the Number Compared to the Previous Year

Photo of health functional foods to aid understanding of the article [Image source=Pulmuone Health & Living]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byeon Seon-jin] The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 17th that it recognized a total of 45 cases of functional ingredients for health functional foods last year, nearly double compared to the previous year (23 cases). According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, 35 of these were newly recognized functional ingredients, marking the highest number of ingredient recognitions in the past 10 years.

This increase is attributed to the rise in consumer interest and demand for health following the outbreak of COVID-19, which led to more applications for functional ingredient recognition. Additionally, the time required to submit supplementary materials was shortened due to the 'Guide for Preparing Submission Materials for Recognition of Functional Ingredients in Health Functional Foods' provided by the Ministry, the Ministry explained. The health functional food market size in 2021 was 5.0454 trillion KRW, showing a 20% increase over the past five years. Last year, the number of applications for functional ingredients was 72, a 28.6% increase compared to 2018 (56 cases).

Among the health functional food functional ingredients recognized last year, 28 were domestically developed ingredients, the highest number since the enforcement of the 'Health Functional Foods Act.' Until 2014, imported ingredients accounted for 70% of recognized functional ingredients, but since 2015, domestically manufactured ingredients have accounted for more than 50%, with a rising trend. Regarding this, the Ministry analyzed that the expansion of national support projects for the development of health functional food functional ingredients and the gradual mandatory establishment of excellent health functional food manufacturing practices (GMP) have improved the standardization technology of ingredients.

Last year, the number of recognized functional ingredients by content was as follows: joint health (8 cases), body fat reduction and skin health (4 cases each), cognitive function improvement and blood cholesterol reduction (3 cases each). Also, looking at the application status for ingredient recognition over the past five years, research and development on functionalities that can help specific groups, such as muscle strength improvement (5 cases), memory, cognitive function, and men's health during menopause (3 cases), are increasing.

Jung Myung-soo, president of the Korea Health Functional Food Association, said, "The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's prompt review of functional ingredients has made it possible to manufacture health functional foods tailored to diverse consumer demands." The Ministry stated that it will continue to meticulously verify the safety and functionality of health functional food functional ingredients based on scientific evidence and will rationally improve unnecessary regulations in line with the development of the health functional food industry and changes in the market environment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.