Korea to Revise Functional Food Regulations

On Aug. 4, 2015, Korea Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) announced it is to revise key functional food regulations. Under the amended system:

1. There would be new obligations for functional food traders to mandatorily report product quality violations uncovered via self-inspection, or any production conditions that could impact product quality and the health of consumers.

2. Noncompliance with product recall obligations will incur more severe penalties. Under the amended system, contingencies pertaining to the suspension of production and sale activities when potential risks are found either domestically or abroad or which could impact the wellbeing and safety of the consumer have been clearly defined.

3. For newly approved health functional food manufacturers, the implementation of GMP system would be one of the requirements for the approval of a business license. For existing health food manufacturers, their GMP obligations would be commensurate with their annual sales volume.

4. The scope of advertisement reviewing of functional foods would be expanded to include the labeling of health claims as well as other elements associated with health food advertising.