FOSHU reformation, health claims expansion

The market is set to become even more dynamic as the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare implements a revamped and more liberal health claims system​ that is set to go live in April 2015 and supersede the very strict FOSHU​ (Foods for Specified Health Uses) system that was established in 1991.

Motivating the change is a government that sees great potential in its food industry to deliver meaningful health outcomes from joint and bone health, to heart and brain health to healthier skin. Pre- and probiotics, lipids, botanicals, enzymes as well as vitamins and minerals and their sub-forms all featured extensively at HI-Japan.

After the economic recession of 2008-2009, Japanese authorities also want its food industry to become more outward facing and take its healthy foods, drinks and food supplements beyond Japan into the rest of Asia and the wider world as Japanese probiotic functional food pioneer Yakult has done.