Current law in Thailand related to health claims on food products
1998
Charoenpong, C. | Prajong, O. | Pongrugikorn, R. (Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi (Thailand). Food and Drug Administration)
Recently, consumers in Thailand, as in other developing countries in the Asian region, have been increasingly interested in the relationship between foods and health. This may be because of the increasing rate of uncommunicable diseases related to the consumption of foods which are high in fat and sugar or low in dietary fibre and complex carbohydrates. Information from epidemiological studies shows that the present economic and social situation has, in recent years, resulted in a significant increase in the incidence of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, heart disease and cancer. Consumers are interested in natural food products bearing disease prevention claims. The question is: are these products foods or drugs ? If they are foods, then are such health claims legal ? Can the claims be substantiated ? The Thai Food and Drug Administration is responsible for these dietary supplements in Thailand and must apply appropriate regulatory measures in order to ensure consumers are protected while avoiding a negative impact on the growth of this food business. The objectives of this paper are to inform interested persons about the regulatory measures concerning health claims of food products to be marketed in Thailand, as well as future measures and policies in this area.
Show more [+] Less [-]AGROVOC Keywords
Bibliographic information
This bibliographic record has been provided by University of Liège