What Approval Codes on Packaging Labels Reveal About Food and Health Supplements

As a traditional Chinese holiday, the Spring Festival often triggers a rapid expansion of the food market. That growth reflects strong consumer demand for food, yet it also creates opportunities for dishonest merchants, since counterfeit and low-quality products become particularly widespread at this time. Still, consumers can protect their interests more effectively if they can accurately identify the approval characters shown on packaging labels.

Packaging labels display a wide variety of markings, which can be overwhelming and make it difficult for average shoppers to tell genuine products from fake ones or judge quality. To help consumers learn how to separate food from health products and lower the chance of buying substandard items, the Development Zone Administration for Industry and Commerce offers this reminder: when buying food or health products, consumers can use the approval characters to distinguish food from health products.

Approval numbers issued by national or local statutory authorities are divided into three groups: Shi Zi, Shi Jian Zi and Yao Jian Zi.

Shi Zi products are usually foods that contain nutritional ingredients or foods that include new resources. Food approval numbers approved by local health departments include Lu Shi Jian Zi and Su Shi Jian Zi, for example Cordyceps essence active nutrient liquid (Wei Xin Shi Shi Zi (96) No. 68). Such products are not allowed to advertise efficacy; however, Cordyceps essence active nutrient liquid may explain the uses and functions of cordyceps as a new-resource food.

Shi Jian Zi products: under the state's Measures for the Administration of Health Foods, foods with specific health functions are defined as health foods and require approval from the Ministry of Health, with approval numbers shown as Wei Shi Jian Zi. Shi Jian Zi products may promote information about the health functions approved by the Ministry of Health.

Yao Jian Zi products: medicines with specific health-nutrition functions are called health-care products. They must go through strict approval by health administrative departments, and their approval numbers include Lu Wei Yao Jian Zi and Chuan Wei Yao Jian Zi. Yao Jian Zi products may advertise information related to the functions and uses listed in the instructions approved by local health administrative departments.

Among the three categories, only Shi Zi products can be recognized as food, and industry and commerce departments are authorized to regulate them according to their duties; the other two categories are outside the supervision of industry and commerce departments. If consumers find or purchase food with problems, they can complain to the consumers association. For false advertising of food and health products, industry and commerce departments may impose penalties under relevant laws and regulations.

Source: China Packaging Network (pack.cn); original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-361969.html