China may add joint health support into list of approved claims

The SAMR has drafted new regulations that would allow health foods sold in China to make joint health support claims.

A public consultation over the draft has been announced on April 24 and will end on June 2.

The claims proposed include “helps support maintain joint health”, “helps alleviate joint pain / stiffness”, “helps reduce swelling of joints”, “helps maintain joint cartilage health”, and “helps maintain bone and joint health”.

If approved, the claims will be added into the Directory of Health Functions Available to be Claimed by Health Food – Non-nutrition Supplements.

There are currently no joint health related claims in the Directory. Examples of claims that are already inside the Directory include “helps strengthen immunity” and “helps support antioxidation.”

The public consultation will also collect feedback on methods for evaluating joint health functionality in animal and human clinical studies.

The draft regulation has proposed that human clinical study is required before products can make joint health support claims.

Animal studies may not be require if certain criteria are met, such as a history of use and literature support for mechanism of action.

A wide range of audience

The SAMR explained that there is a wide range of consumers that could benefit from joint support health foods.

“Joint health is associated with age, lifestyle habits, obesity, endocrine system, and hereditary factors. Joint health support products can cater to a relatively large number of people…” the regulator said.

It explained that apart from the elderly, young people, women, as well as people who are obese, sports enthusiasts, and workers who spend hours sitting in the office can also benefit from it.

“These segments of the population have different needs for joint support health foods. Having a variety of products can help satisfy the needs of different people,” said the SAMR, adding that research around joint health claims regulatory work had begun in January last year.

In fact, bone and joint health is a popular health foods category in China.

Haleon reported in FY24 that its bone and joint health brand Caltrate grew by “double-digit” in sales, and this was largely contributed by the China market.

At last year’s 618 online shopping festival, JD Health also revealed to us that bone and joint health was the health food category with the “highest transaction value”.

This was followed by products for regulating cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose, and beauty-from-within / antioxidative products.

The SAMR added that joint health claims were already widely applied in the US, Europe, Canada, Australia, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.

In the US, for instance, it said that huge volume of products with claims around joint flexibility and mobility were already commercialised.

In Europe, the European Union has also developed the “Guidance on the scientific requirements for health claims related to bone, joints, skin, and oral health”.