A subcommittee of an advisory panel to the Health and Welfare Ministry proposed Wednesday the creation of a new system for labeling health foods in a bid to provide correct information on such products amid a plethora of advertisements.
The subcommittee of the Food Sanitation Investigation Council recommended in a report released the same day that the ministry sound out public opinion on the proposed system via the Internet and other means with a view to introducing the new labeling system in April 2001.
The report suggested establishing a new category of food, to be known as "health function food," consisting of products that have gained government approval or contain ingredients that fulfill certain criteria.
Under the system, manufacturers will be able to describe the function of the contents of their products, such as "food that helps stabilize blood pressure" or "containing calcium, which is necessary for bones and teeth," according to the report.
The new category will comprise an existing group of 195 specially designated health foods and a new group of foods with enriched products containing 14 kinds of nutritional elements, such as vitamins, niacin, folic acid, biotin, calcium and iron.
The existing group consists of such products as drinks, edible oil and yogurt, whose health benefits -- such as easing high blood pressure or relieving constipation -- are acknowledged by the Health Ministry.
The report also suggested that products in the form of tablets and capsules be included in this category of foods.
For the new category, it recommended that the ministry study whether to include other types of nutritional elements, such as dietary fiber, in addition to the 14.
In labeling foods, manufacturers will be obliged to indicate standard daily intake and necessary precautions. Claims about reducing the risk of developing disease will be restricted, according to the report.