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What is FOSHU?
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) defines Food for Specified Health Uses (FOSHU) on its website as follows: “FOSHU refers to foods containing ingredient with functions for health and officially approved to claim its physiological effects on the human body. FOSHU is intended to be consumed for the maintenance/promotion of health or special health uses by people who wish to control their health condition.” To put it simply, FOSHU is a food product with a health function substantiated by scientific evidence, such as “regulating intestinal conditions,” “reducing cholesterol absorption” or “preventing tooth decay,” and is approved by the MHLW to carry such health claim.
From 2004 to 2005, the MHLW approved 171 food items for marketing as FOSHU products, of which 94 were approved in 2005 alone, marking a record number of annual FOSHU approvals. As of the end of December 2005, the total number of FUSHO approvals amounted to 569 food items (755 items as of December 19, 2007)
<Data 1: Trends in annual FOSHU approvals>
Source: the Japan Health Food & Nutrition Food Association
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