Different regulations and standards have different classifications for food, including special foods, foods for special dietary uses and general food. So, are special foods equivalent to foods for special dietary uses? What are the difference and connection between the two? Antion will take you to understand from the perspective of regulations and standards.
PART.1 Special food
1. Definition
Article 74 of the Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China: "The State executes strict regulation over special food including health food, food for special medical purpose and infant and young children formula food", which is the highest legal source for the definition of "special food".
2. Scope of coverage
According to the Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China, the "special food" under the current regulatory system in China include three categories:
(1) Health food:
It is a food that claims to have specific health functions or aims to supplement vitamins and minerals, that is, it is suitable for specific groups, has the function of regulating the body, is not intended to treat diseases, and does not cause any acute, subacute or chronic harm to the human body.
(2) Food for special medical purpose:
a. Food for special medical purpose for people aged 1 and above: Formula food specially processed and formulated to meet the special nutritional or dietary needs of people with restricted eating, digestive and absorption disorders, metabolic disorders or specific disease states. This type of product should be consumed alone or in combination with other foods under the guidance of a doctor or clinical nutritionist.
b. Infant formula for special medical purpose: refers to powdered or liquid formula food designed and made for the nutritional needs of infants with special medical conditions such as special disorders, diseases or medical conditions. Under the guidance of a doctor or clinical nutritionist, when consumed alone or in combination with other foods, its energy and nutritional components can meet the growth and development needs of infants with special medical conditions aged 0-6 months.
(3) Infant and young children formula food:
a. Infant formula: Formula food suitable for normal infants and its energy and nutrients can meet the normal nutritional needs of infants aged 0-6 months.
b. Older infants formula: Formula food suitable for normal older infants and its energy and nutrients can meet some of the nutritional needs of older infants aged 6-12 months.
c. Young children formula: Formula food suitable for young children aged 12-36 months.
3. Supervision and management
Product execution standards
Health food: GB 16740 National Food Safety Standard Health Food.
Food for special medical purpose: GB 25596 National Food Safety Standard General Rules for Infant Formula for Special Medical Purpose, GB 29922 National Food Safety Standard General Principles for Food for Special Medical Purpose.
Infant formula food: GB 10765 National Food Safety Standard Infant Formula, GB 10766 National Food Safety Standard Older Infants Formula, GB 10767 National Food Safety Standard Young Children Formula.
PART.2 Foods for special dietary uses
1. Definition
According to GB 13432 National Food Safety Standard the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods for Special Dietary Uses, foods for special dietary uses are defined as "foods specially processed or formulated to meet the special dietary demand under special physical or physiologic conditions and (or) disease and disorder".
2. Scope of coverage
Appendix A of GB 13432 clarified that foods for special dietary uses include:
a) Infant and young children formula:
Infant formula;
Older infants and young children formula;
Infant formula for special medical purpose.
b) Complementary foods for infants and young children:
Cereal-based complementary foods for infants and young children;
Canned complementary foods for infants and young children.
c) Food for special medical purpose (excluding varieties involved in infant formula for special medical purpose);
d) Other foods for special dietary uses other than the above-mentioned categories (including complementary food supplements, sports nutrition foods and other foods for special dietary uses with corresponding national standards).
3. Supervision and management
Product execution standards
Cereal-based complementary foods for infants and young children: GB 10769 National Food Safety Standard Cereal-based Complementary Foods for Infants and Young Children.
Canned complementary foods for infants and young children: GB 10770 National Food Safety Standard Canned Complementary Foods for Infants and Young Children.
Sports nutrition food: GB 24154 National Food Safety Standard General Rules for Sports Nutrition Food.
Nutritional supplement foods for pregnant and lactating women: GB 31601 National Food Safety Standard Nutritional Supplement Foods for Pregnant and Lactating Women.
PART.3 Difference and connection between special food and foods for special dietary uses
In summary, there are overlapping categories between special food and foods for special dietary uses. For example, food for special medical purpose and infant and young children formula food belong to both special foods and foods for special dietary uses, health food only belongs to special foods, and complementary food supplements, sports nutrition food and nutritional supplement foods for pregnant and lactating women only belong to foods for special dietary uses. Therefore, foods for special dietary uses are not equivalent to special foods, as they have both differences and connections.
Source: Antion
Note: This article is compiled by Antion. Please indicate the source for reprint.