Taking Stock: Japan’s Foods with Function Claims in 2022

In 2022, Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) approved a total of 1,361 Foods with Function Claims (FFC), of which 417 products are registered under the status of sales. ChemLinked made a statistical summary of the 417 foods, aiming to identify the most popular ingredients and functional food among consumers.

Popular Ingredients

GABA was the most commonly notified ingredient in 2022, totaling 63 products. Its main functions are improving sleep quality and relieving stress & fatigue. Followed by lutein for eye protection and black ginger-derived Polymethoxylated flavones for weight management.

Top 5 Most Commonly Notified Ingredients by CAA in 2022：

Rank	Ingredient	Function claims	Products
1	GABA	Improving sleep quality Relieving stress and fatigue Lowering blood pressure	63
2	Lutein	Eye protection	29
3	Black ginger-derived Polymethoxylated flavones	Weight management	28
4	DHA & EPA	Improving memory and cognitive function Lowering blood pressure	21
5	Indigestible dextrin (dietary fiber)	Inhibiting fat and sugar absorption Regulating intestinal health (relieving constipation)	11

Top Three Function Claims for FCC Products in 2022

In the Japanese market, FFC products claiming cardiovascular health improvement, sleep improvement/relieving fatigue and stress, and weight management are the most popular three categories among consumers.

figure-1-top-three-foods-with-the-most-function-claims-in-japan.png Figure 1. Top Three Foods with the Most Function Claims in Japan

Top 1. Cardiovascular health improvement

It is mainly for reducing the three highs (lowering blood pressure, and inhibiting postprandial blood sugar and fat absorption) and maintaining the flexibility of blood vessels. According to the notified information, GABA has the function of lowering blood pressure. Indigestible dextrin (dietary fiber) is effective in moderating the postprandial increases in blood sugar and blood triglycerides levels. In addition, Bonito-derived elastin peptide can help maintain blood vessel suppleness, i.e., the degree of blood vessel dilation after the constriction.

Figure 2. ToatlHeal Products—Blood Pressure Care

* This product contains GABA which can lower blood pressure in hypertensive patients.

Other common ingredients: casein peptide, isomaltodextrin (dietary fiber), salacia-derived salacinol, terminalia bellirica-derived gallic acid, etc.

Top 2. Improving sleep quality, relieving fatigue and stress

Improving sleep:

GABA is not only a popular ingredient used in FCC products claiming cardiovascular health improvement, but also used in many sleep improvement products, due to its multifunctional feature. Currently, Japan has shown the most significant demand for GABA products in the world. Besides, GABA has been among the top three ingredients used in the Japanese functional food market for several consecutive years.

Figure 3. SHINRAI CHEMICAL CO.,LTD Products—Gabarelax Sleep

* This product contains GABA which can improve sleep quality, bring deep sleep and make consumer invigorated.

Other common ingredients: lactic acid bacterium NY1301 strain, reduced coenzyme Q10, lutein, zeaxanthin Hyperoside/isoquercitrin from Laffemas, L-theanine, etc.

Relieving fatigue and stress:

Functional foods that claim to relieve fatigue and stress are gaining popularity year by year in Japan. According to CAA’s notification data, 167 products were notified in 2022, which was 3.6 times that of 5 years ago.

Figure 4. KIYOTA SANGYO Co., Ltd. Products - Glittering Moringa Grain

* This product contains glucomoringin derived from moringa seeds, which can reduce temporary physical fatigue in people who are easy to feel tired in daily life.

Other common ingredients: GABA, astaxanthin, citric acid, bilberry-derived anthocyanin, lutein, zeaxanthin, etc.

Top 3. Weight management

In 2022, the best-loved Japanese weight loss ingredients were rose hip-derived tiliroside and black ginger-derived Polymethoxylated flavones. Both have the function of reducing abdominal fat (including visceral fat and subcutaneous fat) in people with high BMI by helping fat consumption in energy metabolism during daily activities.

Figure 5. Meiji Yakuhin Co.,Ltd. Products—Cibola Night 2

* This product contains black ginger-derived Polymethoxylated flavones, which can facilitate fat consumption in energy metabolism during daily activities.

Other common ingredients: pueraria thomsonii flower-derived isoflavones, gallate-type catechin, medium chain fatty acid, rice-derived glucosylceramide, and bellirica-derived gallic acid, etc.

Demand for liver protection function may increase

According to the Yano Research Institute's report, liver protection products may increase in 2023. During COVID-19 lockdowns, people had few opportunities to drink outside. With the easing of the pandemic, more and more consumers go out to drink, which may increase the demand of "turmeric" and "liver hydrolyzate," for alcohol countermeasures, and "placenta" for liver function recovery, increased.

Compliance notes

FFC refers to food labeled with functionality based on scientific evidence. Enterprises need to be responsible for the function claims. Stakeholders are required to notify the Consumer Affairs Agency the safety and functionality information 60 days before the sale. Besides, Japan attaches great importance to credit, which means stakeholders shall ensure the safety of notified information to avoid causing loss.

In addition, CAA is still trying to promote the "Outsourcing" of FFC notification. Up to now, the number of FFC products notified by CAA has exceeded 6,000, and the annual number of notified products have also exceeded 1,000. With the continuous growth of the FFC food market, there is a serious shortage of manpower to check the relevant filing information. In the future, individual organizations in the industry may be designated by the government to conduct prior confirmation of relevant information. The government hasn't disclosed the detailed rules for the outsourcing plan.