Health food has a clear legal positioning. In section 2.1 of GB16740-2014 "National Food Safety Standard for Health Food", health food is defined as food that claims to have specific health functions or is intended to supplement vitamins and minerals. The product attribute is clearly defined as food. There is no clear legal definition for health products, which generally refer to products that have health benefits for the human body, including food, health food, and ordinary products claiming to have health benefits. In the process of publicity, reporting, and regulatory enforcement, the first step should be to identify the product attributes in accordance with the law, clearly define whether the product is a food or a product, whether it is a health food, ordinary food, or toxic and harmful food. The product name should be expressed in accordance with the actual attributes of the product in reports, documents, and documents, and cannot be generalized as a health product, resulting in unclear facts, regulatory errors, and misleading information.
Food refers to various finished products and raw materials for human consumption or drinking, as well as items that are traditionally both food and traditional Chinese medicine, but does not include items used for therapeutic purposes. Health food refers to food that claims to have health benefits or aims to supplement nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Food that is suitable for specific populations to consume, has the ability to regulate bodily functions, is not intended to treat diseases, and does not pose any acute, subacute, or chronic harm to the human body. Food and health food are both related and different, and their commonality lies in the fact that as health food or food, it must first be food and possess the basic characteristics of food, namely, it should be non-toxic, harmless, and meet the necessary nutritional and hygiene requirements. The main differences between the two are: ① Health foods can claim health benefits, while regular foods emphasize providing nutritional components. If regular foods claim health benefits, it is illegal. ② Health food can use Chinese medicinal materials listed in the catalog as raw materials, which can take various forms such as tablets, capsules, oral liquids, etc Health food has strict intake and specific consumption groups, while regular food does not have these requirements.
Drugs refer to substances used for the prevention, treatment, and diagnosis of human diseases, with the aim of regulating human physiological functions and specifying indications or functional treatments, usage, and dosage. Including Chinese medicinal materials, Chinese medicine slices, traditional Chinese patent medicines and simple preparations, chemical raw materials and their preparations, antibiotics, biochemical drugs, radioactive drugs, serum, vaccines, blood products and diagnostic drugs. The difference between health food and medicine is that health food is used to regulate body functions, improve the body's ability to resist diseases, improve sub-health status, and reduce the risk of disease occurrence, without the purpose of preventing or treating diseases. Drugs refer to substances used for preventing, treating, and diagnosing human diseases, purposefully regulating human physiological functions, and specifying indications or functional indications, usage, and dosage Medications are generally targeted at people with symptoms of illness, but health foods are designed for specific populations Health food should be consumed according to the prescribed dosage and should not cause any acute, subacute, or chronic harm to the human body. Drugs are allowed to have certain toxic side effects General drugs cannot be taken for a long time, but health foods can be consumed for a long time Health food is only for oral use. Medications can be administered through methods such as injection and application. In addition, different types of raw materials can be used, and toxic and harmful substances are not allowed to be used as raw materials for health food. Health food is food, not medicine, and cannot replace medicine. All foods, including health foods, do not have preventive or therapeutic functions. Consumers, especially middle-aged and elderly people, as well as patients with illnesses, should not believe false advertising and exaggerated promotion of health food by illegal merchants, and should not use health food for treating diseases.
