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On May 29, 2025, the South Korea Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) proposed partial revisions to the Regulations on Functional Claims or Advertisements of Foods That Are Not Considered Unfair. Stakeholders are invited to submit opinions by July 29, 2025.
Key proposed revisions:
Removal of Gut Health Functionality for Fermented Dairy Products
Under the current regulation, functional claims for general foods supported by scientific evidence through human application studies or systematic literature review include：
Functionality resulting from the substitution, removal, or reduction of specific nutrients
Functionality related to hangover relief
Gut health functionality for fermented milk products under the Food Code
The draft proposes to remove the gut health functionality claim for fermented dairy products.
Improved Labeling Requirements for Functional Claims and Ingredient Content
The draft requires that any functional claim shall be presented together with the corresponding functional ingredient and its required content on the main display panel. E.g. "This product contains ○○ mg of B (functional ingredient) per ○ g (per serving), which is known (or reported) to help A (functionality).”
Restriction on Sweetener Use in General Foods Claiming “Helps Control Blood Sugar”
General foods that intend to label or advertise the functionality of designated raw materials or ingredients must meet the "low" content criteria for the associated nutrient. The draft further stipulates that if the function-claiming foods are subject to low-sugar criteria, food additives sweeteners are prohibited in such products. For instance, if a product containing Banaba Leaf Extract aims to claim to help manage post-meal blood sugar levels, the product must not only meet content requirements for Banaba Leaf Extract, but also satisfy low-sugar criteria without the use of food additives sweeteners.
Clarification of Daily Intake Standards for Certain Functional Ingredients in General Foods
For probiotic products claiming to support beneficial bacteria growth, suppress harmful bacteria, improve bowel movements, or support gut health, the daily intake of probiotics should be at least 100,000,000 CFU (colony-forming units).
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