China’s SAMR Released the Catalog of Permitted Health Function Claims for Health Foods: Helps Maintain Bone and Joint Health

On January 15, 2026, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), in collaboration with the National Health Commission and the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, released the Catalog of Permitted Health Function Claims for Health Foods: Helps maintain bone and joint health (alleviating Pain or stiffness/reducing cartilage damage) along with supporting documents. These regulations took effect on January 1, 2026. This marks the first new function added to the health function catalog since the SAMR released the Implementation Rules for New Functions and Product Technical Evaluation of Health Foods (Trial) in 2023.

Internationally, numerous dietary supplement products related to bone and joint health or similar claims have already entered the market, demonstrating the substantial scale of the market. By contrast, the domestic Chinese market has remained largely untapped. Now that this new function has been added to the catalog, companies that enter the market first will secure a competitive edge in this billion-dollar sector. Leveraging its keen regulatory insights and years of application experience, the food team at CIRS Group has summarized the following key points for relevant enterprises to reference.

Registrations must be filed under the category of proposed new health functions and health foods claiming new functions

The announcement clarifies the principles and recommended requirements for testing and evaluating functions that help maintain bone and joint health (alleviating pain or stiffness/reducing cartilage damage), including animal functional evaluations and/or human consumption trials. However, specific testing and evaluation methods have not yet been published. During the actual application, applicants should propose new functional suggestions and submit new functional health food registration applications based on specific functional testing methods. This should be done by integrating product characteristics and efficacy mechanisms, while conducting research in accordance with relevant regulations such as the Health Food Registration and Filing Management Measures and the Implementation Rules for New Functions and Product Technical Evaluation of Health Foods (Trial).

According to the Implementation Rules, applicants must submit not only specific functional testing and evaluation methods but also a validation report for the new function evaluation method. Applicants may select qualified food testing institutions or clinical trial institutions to conduct research validation.

Functional claims must be further classified into a second-tier category

According to this announcement, “Helps maintain bone and joint health” is classified as a primary-level health function claim. Based on the results and evaluation of animal studies and/or human consumption trials, as well as scientific evidence and academic consensus, the applicant must determine at least one secondary-level health function claim, which must be indicated in parentheses. Examples include: Helps maintain bone and joint health (relieves pain or stiffness); Helps maintain bone and joint health (alleviates cartilage damage); and Helps maintain bone and joint health (relieves pain or stiffness, alleviates cartilage damage).

Human consumption trials must be conducted; animal trials may be exempted if conditions are met

Functional testing and evaluation shall follow the provisions of the Implementation Rules (2023 Edition). The function “Helps maintain bone and joint health (alleviating pain or stiffness/reducing cartilage damage)” must undergo human consumption trials. Product formulations containing raw materials and auxiliary ingredients widely used in registered or filed health foods, with sufficient scientific evidence linking the formulation composition and dosage to the claimed function, can apply for an animal testing exemption. However, animal functional testing must be conducted for the function “Helps maintain bone and joint health (alleviates cartilage damage).” In other words, to save time and economic costs, enterprises should avoid using new health food ingredients and extensively collect, reference, and organize authoritative literature and clinical research data related to the intended declared function from both Chinese and international sources to determine the product formulation and dosage.

CIRS Group believes that the expansion of the health function catalog meets the personalized health needs of different population groups, promotes the sustainable development of China’s health food market, and also helps enterprises break free from homogeneous competition, enhancing brand innovation and competitiveness. CIRS Group recommends that qualified enterprises seize this opportunity to initiate R&D for new functional products at an early stage, plan compliant registration pathways, and fully leverage policy benefits to secure a leading position in the future market landscape.

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