ABSTRACT
Functional foods are being actively developed in Japan. The Food for Speci ed Health Uses (FOSHU) designation, which refers to foods containing ingredients with health functions, was of cially approved for claims of physiological effects on the human body by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) (Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor Welfare, n.d.). At present, eight categories of health claim are approved (Table 2.1), and FOSHU can issue these foods with a seal of approval (Figure 2.1). In order to sell a food as FOSHU, its safety and effectiveness on human health must be assessed, and the claim must be approved by the MHLW. There were 847 such items approved as of April 2009. In addition to traditional foods, many more functional foods processed by enzymes or microbes have been produced or are being researched and developed. These functional foods will be reviewed in this chapter.
