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Current development of functional foods in Taiwan |
G. C. YEN, Dept. of Food Science, National Hsing Univ., 250 Kuokuang Rd., Taichung, 40227, Taiwan Nutraceuticals and functional foods represent one of the fastest growing markets in the developed world. Nowadays, functional foods are considered to be any food or part of a food that provides medical or health benefits, and are widely considered to be critical for human health. Traditional Chinese medicine has long recorded the importance of foods in the prevention and treatment of diseases and in the promotion of human health; however, it is always ignored owing to lacking of modern scientific evidences. In Taiwan, the Health Food Control Act was legislated in January 1999, and started to receiving applications from August 3 of 1999. Health Food is defined as food which provides special nutrients or gives health care effect or the specified health benefit for an appropriate person. This kind of product should be pre-evaluated by the expert committee, and must not express the medical claims such as prevent, cure, treat, and diagnose for human disease. Until November 2002, 28 products have obtained the certification of health foods. In a recent survey, the functional foods with effects of reducing weight, delaying aging, preventing cancer and osteoporosis, enhancing immunity, antioxidant, modulating blood lipid and cholesterol, etc., are the potential products for development in Taiwan. In order to set up the characteristic functional foods industry and promote the population health, a mission oriented Research and Development Projects of Functional Foods was integrated and motivated by a committee which was funded by NSC, DOH and COA. This project started from the August 1999 and focused on the study of functionality, safety, bioactive component, and product development of functional foods. This paper aims to introduce the market and trend of functional foods; the implementation of the Health Food Control Act; the labeling and advertising regulation of health food; and the current research and development and the future perspectives of functional foods in Taiwan.
Session 81, Development of functional food and natural health food products for Asian markets
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