Analysis of health food containing probiotics in China during 1996 to 2022

ObjectiveTo systematically investigate the health food containing probiotics approved by the government in China， and analyze the application of strains， function claims， recommended intake and distribution of applicable population， and provide reference for the management reform of probiotics products.MethodsThe information of health food containing probiotics approved by the government in China from 1996 to 2022 were collected and investigated， including the kinds of probiotics， function claims， recommended intake and the information of applicable populations.ResultsA total of 168 health foods containing probiotics were approved in China from 1996 to 2022， 82.14% and 77.98% of the products used Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium respectively， 61.31% of the products used Lactobacillus acidophilus， but all products were not labeled with the level of strain. In terms of function claims， most products claimed “enhancing immunity”， “regulating intestinal flora” and “laxative”. The recommended intake of probiotics ranged from 0.12 to 3.63×1011 CFU/d. Claims such as “immunocompromised people”， “people with intestinal flora imbalance” and “people with constipation” were the most common applicable populations for consumption. 42.86% of the products did not labeled with “the unsuitable population”， and more than 69.79% of the products labeled with “the unsuitable population” targeted at infants and young children.ConclusionThere are some approved health food containing probiotics in China， none of which is clearly labeled to the strain level， which is not in line with the scientific definition of probiotics. The existing products are of a single function， product function claim depends on the results of high-quality population studies. The approval of products suitable for infants and young children should be scientific and prudent.