07 Oct 2015

Mississauga, ON – Intertek, a leading provider of quality solutions worldwide, supports companies struggling to understand the regulatory requirements for health claims in Japan.

Previously in Japan, health claims could be made only through the Food for Specified Health Uses (FOSHU) and Foods with Nutrient Function Claims (FNFC) frameworks. The FOSHU framework requires pre-market review and approval by the Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA), and a limited number of pre-approved claims for FNFC are permissible for use. In March 2015, the CAA published a guideline on the notification process for “foods with function claims”. This category of claims does not require pre-market review by the CAA; instead, the company is required to ensure that the claim is scientifically substantiated and to notify the CAA. On April 1st of 2015, this new food labelling regulation came into force, and the CAA has commenced accepting notifications. The notification procedure has been simplified in order to accelerate the rate at which foods with function claims can enter the Japanese market, helping food manufacturers and producers get their products to market more quickly.

To help clients navigate the regulatory environment in Japan, Dr. Ashley Roberts, an accomplished regulatory toxicologist within Intertek Life Sciences, will be presenting “Health Claims: Comparing the new Japanese Regulation to that of the U.S., EU and Australia” during the Health Ingredients (HI) Japan Tradeshow held on October 8th, 2015. Intertek will also be exhibiting at Booth #1-308 during the show, and experts are available to discuss their ability to provide one of the most complete health claim service offerings on the market today. Intertek experts provide access to decades of experience, and are uniquely able to combine regulatory and compliance expertise with analytical testing.

Dr. Ashley Roberts states, “Health claims allow the industry to communicate with consumers about the specific health benefits of their products. As new regulations relevant to health claims come into force, it can be extremely confusing for companies to juggle the requirements of different regulatory bodies and to ensure claims made in food labelling and advertising are scientifically validated. Our experts provide access to decades of experience, and during my presentation, I hope to bring clarity to these issues.”

In addition to Intertek’s participation at HI Japan, Dr. Kathy Musa-Veloso, an accomplished regulatory scientist within Intertek Life Sciences, will be offering a complimentary webinar on November 23, 2015, comparing the health claim frameworks in the U.S., EU, and other jurisdictions. To register for this webinar, please visit: https://www.intertek.com/food/webinar-series/.

To learn more about the regulatory and scientific consultancy services offered by our experts and within the larger Intertek organization, please visit: https://www.intertek.com/food/consulting/.

Contacts

For Media Inquiries:

Tracy Veale
Global Marketing Manager
Health, Environmental and Regulatory Services (HERS)
Intertek Life Sciences
Tel: +1 905 542-2900
Email: tracy.veale@intertek.com

For Market Inquiries:

Dr. Ashley Roberts
Senior Vice President, Food & Nutrition
Intertek Scientific & Regulatory Consultancy
Tel: +1 905 542-2900
Email: ashley.roberts@intertek.com

Dr. Kathy Musa-Veloso
Director, Health Claims and Clinical Trials
Intertek Scientific & Regulatory Consultancy
Tel: +1 905 542-2900
Email: kathy.musa-veloso@intertek.com

About Intertek

Intertek is a leading quality solutions provider to industries worldwide. From auditing and inspection, to testing, training, advisory, quality assurance and certification, Intertek adds value for its customers by helping improve the quality and safety of their products, assets and processes. With a network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and over 38,000 people in more than 100 countries, Intertek supports companies’ success in the global marketplace, by helping customers to meet end users’ expectations for safety, sustainability, performance, integrity and desirability in virtually any market worldwide. Visit www.intertek.com.

About Intertek Food Services

At Intertek, we understand the different requirements that apply at each stage of the food supply chain. We support and guide clients through a wide range of effective solutions for individual needs, including auditing, certification, testing, inspection, scientific and regulatory consulting, technical solutions and training. Visit www.intertek.com/food.

Join the experts at Intertek Food Services for our series of webinars concerning the latest topics, regulations and updates related to the global food industry. For further information visit www.intertek.com/food/webinar-series/.