[Development and application for approval of "Foods for Specified Health Use"]

As a result of the aging population in Japan, physiologically functional foods, which were first introduced by the project supported by the Ministry of Education of Japan, are expected to play an important role in body defence, prevention and recovery of life-style related diseases. The scientific studies concerning the relationship between food components and health promoted the Ministry of Health and Welfare to establish the system for the food labelling which was used for a "Foods for Specified Health Use" (FOSHU) in 1991. Concerning FOSHU, the terminology, the regulatory provisions, the required criteria for application, the system of approval and the labelling of approval products are summerized in this article. The procedure from application to approval is examplified by Heme-iron beverage for iron deficiency anemia. This product contains heme-iron-enriched amino acid chains which maintain the good absorption of heme-iron from hemoglobin. The health claim approved for this product is "suitable for those who suffer from a mildly anemic condition which may require an iron supplement".