,The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), South Korea, issued Notice No. 2026-32 on 13 April 2026, revising the Standards and Specifications for Health Functional Foods to strengthen oversight, improve scientific consistency, and enhance analytical testing.
A major update is the inclusion of chitosan oligosaccharides as a recognized functional ingredient, with defined claims such as helping reduce post-meal blood glucose spikes. The notice also sets specific manufacturing standards and validated analytical methods for this ingredient, formally adding it to the approved raw materials list.
The revision further improves analytical procedures to ensure greater accuracy and reliability, including clearer test criteria, increased sample volumes, and enhanced purification steps. Strengthened testing areas include vitamins B1, niacin, B12, and biotin; fatty acid composition; disintegration performance; and microbiological parameters such as total lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus groups, and Bifidobacterium counts.
Implemented under Articles 14 and 15 of the Health Functional Foods Act, the amendments are primarily technical in nature and aim to enhance product quality control, ensure reliable health claims, support functional ingredient innovation, and reinforce consumer confidence through standardized testing methods
Consumer News Region