The other ingredients are shark liver oil containing alkoxyglycerol, Actinidia or kiwi extract, pomegranate concentrate, Gynostemma pentaphyllum leaf alcohol extract powder, fruits and vegetables- derived lactic acid bacteria, specifically Lactobacillus plantarum CJLP133, lactulose powder, and rosehip powder.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Like green tea extract, shark liver oil containing alkylglycerol is already in the list of Ingredients notified in the Codes of Health Functional Foods in South Korea.
Manufacturers can use these notified ingredients without having to obtain approval from the regulator beforehand.
The other seven ingredients, on the other hand, are not in the notified list and were approved by the South Korean regulator after screening for their safety and functionality.
It is part of the standard procedure for the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) to re-evaluate the safety and functionality of health ingredients 10 years after giving them the green light.
Sometimes, re-evaluation is also conducted for ingredients associated with reports of adverse events.
The MFDS said it would be announcing results of its re-evaluation at the end of the year.
“Once the re-evaluation is complete, based on the results, measures such as cancelling the [existing] functional recognition, changing the precautions for consumption, changing the daily intake etc will be taken,” said the MFDS.
What functionality to re-evaluate?
For green tea extract, the MFDS will be re-evaluating its antioxidant activity and its claims of helping to reduce body fat and maintaining healthy blood cholesterol level.
At the moment, green tea extract products can make the above claims if it is taken as catechin between 0.3 to one gram per day.
Shark liver oil containing alkoxyglycerol, on the other hand, will be re-evaluated for its function of supporting the immune system with daily intake amount of 0.6 to 2.7 grams as alkoxyglycerol per day.
Others, such as pomegranate concentrate will be re-evaluated for supporting the health of menopausal women, skin moisturisation and protection from UV rays, while both Gynostemma pentaphyllum leaf alcohol and seaweed extracts will be re-assessed for their body fat reduction claims.
Earlier on January 13, the MFDS also released findings from last year’s re-evaluation exercise.
As a result, products containing Garcinia cambogia extract can no longer be formulated with ingredients that similarly help to reduce body fat.
In South Korea, Garcinia cambogia is commonly used in health functional foods for supporting body fat reduction.
In fact, South Korea’s imports of Garcinia cambogia had increased in the first half of 2023 when imports of other health products, such as vitamins and minerals had declined.
On the other hand, the reishi mushroom fruiting body extract’s status as a health functional ingredient has been stripped away as its “functionality has not been confirmed after re-evaluation”, the MFDS explained.
