Positive and Negative Aspects of Food with Health Claims in Japan

Developments in food science and technology have accelerated the production and availability of health foods. Although consumers may acquire health benefits from some products, they may also suffer adverse health effects and economic losses. Unlike medicine, which is administered by health professionals, foods are chosen directly by the consumer and can be used at their own discretion. Food labeling plays a major role in providing consumers with proper information when choosing the desired products; however, the food labeling system is complex and inadequately understood by consumers. Moreover, there are some products that do not follow food labeling laws and contain ingredients that have not undergone proper effectiveness and safety evaluations. With the increasing popularity of health foods, it is becoming more important to ensure that they are effective and safely used. The biggest concern is that some consumers may mistake health foods for medicines that can cure or prevent diseases. The main reason that consumers are confused and misled is due to the vast amount of information that is available. This paper provides an overview of the following four approaches that we have taken in order to develop countermeasures against health foods being used improperly by consumers: (1) conducting a survey of actual health food use; (2) collecting data on adverse events suspected to be caused by health foods, and evaluating the causal relationship with methods suited to investigating health foods; (3) examining the safety of natural ingredients used in health foods; and (4) constructing an online database that compiles information on the safety and effectiveness of health foods and/or ingredients, and sharing such information with consumers and health professionals.