China releases draft regulations for supplements

China’s Food and Drug Administration released two draft documents for nutritional supplements on Nov. 5, 2014. First is entitled, “Administrative Regulations for Nutritional Supplements” and the other “Information Requirement for Nutritional Supplements.”

Both these documents deal with the ushering in of a notification or recording type system for nutritional supplements, which are defined as vitamins and minerals. This is China’s first step toward modernizing its health food industry and is the result of consistent engagement and information sharing from groups like U.S.–China Health Products Association (USCHPA). Since 2010, the association has been publishing the annual dietary supplement industry position paper and shares it with China’s FDA and State Council as well as the National People’s Congress Legislative Office.  

USCHPA and its members are in the process of translating and reviewing the above mentioned documents and will issue comments/suggestions to China FDA by the end of November 2014.

It is expected that this new category of nutritional supplement and its regulatory framework will go into effect in 2015.

For those interested in learning more about China’s developing overall natural health product industry, visit USCHPA’s website at uschinahpa.org or email [email protected].