Skip main navigation

Suggestion on Choosing Health Food

video
14.2
There are some important matters in selecting health food. The following three items are the most important ones I hope you can keep in mind. Health food is very similar to medicine. If a product passed the verification of its function, consumers should consult with a professional about the product. Professional refers to physicians, pharmacists or dietitians. They can help us to select products based on our needs. But frankly, we don’t consult with professionals unless the product is unusual. This reveals the importance of a clear food label. A clear food label provides consumers more information to determine what kind of products meet their needs. Products produced by company with R&D capability and a good reputation can be more reliable.
73.1
The food manufacturer should obtain the certification issued by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. It will be more secure for consumers. So consumers should consult with professionals before buying these products, choose products produced by a reliable company, with certification issued by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. These are the certification marks of health food in Taiwan. As you can see there are 2 tracks of certifications. One is Individual Case Review.
119.4
This review has 2 steps: preliminary review and secondary review. So it takes about180 days to review. Track 2 is Specification Standard Review. It only has preliminary review. Most products issued this permit are fish oil products and red yeast rice products. Lastly, I would like to make a conclusion. The health food market is expanding because of rising health awareness among consumers of all ages. So we anticipate consumers having correct knowledge towards health food. Taiwan Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare has been revising the regulations over the past years. We expect those reputable companies can keep researching and developing high-quality health food products under the government’s supervision. So consumers can buy products that are actually good for their health.
196.9
Thank you for listening.

Prof. Huang gives some suggestions for the public on how to choose healthy food.

There are some important matters in selecting health food. There are three things you can keep in mind. Health food is very similar to medicine. If a product passed the verification of its function, consumers should consult with a professional about the product. Professional refers to physicians, pharmacists or dietitians.

Second, a clear food label provides consumers more information to determine what kind of products meet their needs. Products produced by the company with R&D capability and a good reputation can be more reliable.

Last, the food manufacturer should obtain the certification issued by your government. He will introduce you to the safety food label from the Taiwan government.

This will conclude Prof. Huang’s lecture. In the final part, he mentions the health food market is expanding. How do you view this? Can the expanding market help the public to pursue their health?

This article is from the free online

Nutrition: Eating to Live Well

Created by
FutureLearn - Learning For Life

Reach your personal and professional goals

Unlock access to hundreds of expert online courses and degrees from top universities and educators to gain accredited qualifications and professional CV-building certificates.

Join over 18 million learners to launch, switch or build upon your career, all at your own pace, across a wide range of topic areas.

Start Learning now