Functional Foods and Anti-aging: Classification and System of Functional Foods

To be precise, there is no classification called functional foods. What is commonly referred to as health foods may feel like functional foods, but legally, only “pharmaceuticals and other foods regulated by the Act on Securing Quality, Efficacy and Safety of Products Including Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices” (Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Act) exist. However, there are foods for health use that are allowed to display functionality under certain conditions, and if anything, functional foods could be said to be foods for health use. Prior to 2015, in addition to pharmaceuticals regulated by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Act, there were nutritionally functional foods defined by the Health Promotion Act and Foods for Specified Health Use (FOSHU), and these two were health functional foods, with so-called health foods in the other category. So-called health foods are no different from ordinary foods from a legal perspective, and words like functionality and effect cannot be written. Therefore, abstract advertisements such as image advertisements that suggest knee rotation and personal impressions were the main focus, and consumers were not provided with the information necessary for purchase. In foreign countries such as the United States and the EU, functional displays are common, and there are few countries where functional displays cannot be made. As a result, it was prohibited in our country at that time, and we were in a situation where we could not tell what was real, and the overwhelming majority of inquiries from consumers were about the ingredients and intake methods of products, which did not match consumer needs. In a survey by the Consumer Committee, it was found that 60% of people wanted a functional display, and in our country, a new system of functional display foods, which allows the display of functionality based on notifications from companies, started in April 2015 (Fig. 105.1). Functional display foods have been accepted for over 6000 notifications by 2023, and it is said that they have formed a market of over 500 billion yen. With the advent of functional display foods, consumers can easily obtain foods that suit them, and self-care and self-medication have become more enriched.