During the National Two Sessions in 2024, Leng Youbin, a National People's Congress deputy and chairman of Feihe Dairy, submitted a proposal titled Proposal on Vigorously Developing 'Functional Labeled Food' to Accelerate the Development of New Quality Productivity in the Health Industry. He suggested that by clarifying the classification and conducting pilot projects and industry-academia-research cooperation, etc. to promote the development of 'functional labeled food' and accelerate the development of new quality productivity in the health industry.

Food and medicine homology promote people's health

Taking Japan as an example, as early as the 1980s, the country proposed the concept of 'functional food' and launched related products. These foods not only meet people's nutritional needs, but also improve health, prevent diseases, regulate physiological functions, etc. through specific ingredients and functions. They are widely used in weight loss, blood sugar reduction, blood pressure reduction, stress and fatigue relief, sleep improvement, improvement of intestinal environment, skin care, and bone and joint health. As of early January 2024, Japan has approved more than 7,000 'functional labeled foods', becoming an important part of Japan's health industry.

Heilongjiang pilot program to bridge the industry-academia-research chain

Based on industry research, Leng Youbin suggests to add a new category of 'functional labeled food' within the existing framework of food categories, and specify that 'functional labeled food' can claim functions, including describing the nutrients or medicinal ingredients contained in the food, and marking them with their corresponding functions.

In addition, Leng Youbin suggests that a pilot project could be carried out in Heilongjiang to create a model of 'functional labeled food', paving the way for future nationwide promotion and laying a solid foundation.

To develop 'functional labeled food', it is necessary to cooperate with multiple parties to establish a seamless connection between industry, academia and research. Leng Youbin suggests that it is necessary for various institutions including medical institutions, research institutes and enterprises to jointly carry out scientific research, focusing on both basic research to solve scientific research problems and timely transformation of relevant scientific research results. It is essential to continuously strengthen the connection between industry, academia and research, and jointly cultivate the continuous development and growth of 'functional labeled food'.

Overall, developing 'functional labeled food' can drive the planting of ingredients and medicinal materials, but also further expand the foreign trade of ingredients and medicinal materials, promoting high value-added products in the health field in China to 'go global'.

Source: People's Daily

Note: This article is compiled by Antion. Please indicate the source for reprint.