Study and Analysis of Eating Adaptability of Health Food for Special Population

Objective: Children and pregnant and lactating women, as two special groups, could face certain risks from blindly consuming various foods. To explore the proportion of suitability labeling for these two groups in health food products, analyze the reasons, and propose suggestions from multiple perspectives to improve the safety of health food consumption for these special groups. Methods: The data on health food products with top 10 function claim registrations were retrieved from the Special Food Information Query Platform of the State Administration for Market Regulation and Administration spanning from June 1996 to December 2022. The study was conducted from functional claims, approval timelines, and ingredient compositions. Chi-square tests and regression analyses were performed using SPSS Statistics 26 software to scrutinize the composition of special populations in relation to inappropriate labeling. Results: Special populations accounted for over 30% of inappropriate labeling in the ten product categories. There was a significant disparity in the composition ratio of special populations in similar products with inappropriate labeling (P<0.05). Additionally, significant differences were observed in the high-frequency ingredient materials used for similar products with different suitability labels (P<0.05). Conclusion: Special physiological stages and health issues, the composition of product ingredients, and the gradually improving regulatory system were the main factors that contribute to the differences. The three main parties involved, namely the management departments, production and sales enterprises, and consumers should work together to gradually strengthen top-level supervision, improve internal standards, and enhance product awareness, thereby promoting the continuous improvement of the safety of health food products.