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.

As of December 31, 2025, a total of 59 Foods for Special Medical Purposes (FSMPs) were approved in 2025 (registration number: 国食注字TY2025XXXX), bringing the cumulative number of approved FSMPs in China to 290.

To continuously optimize the port business environment and support the development of import trade in substances with both food and medicinal uses, the General Administration of Customs (GAC), the National Health Commission (NHC), the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), and the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) have decided to pilot the implementation of classified import management for certain food–medicinal substances.

According to the information released by the Center for Food Evaluation, State Administration for Market Regulation and the Special Food Information Query Platform, in 2025, State Administration for Market Regulation issued a total of 2130 health food (dietary supplement) registration approvals. Among them, 200 approvals were for new health food products, including 194 domestic products and 6 imported products.

Recently, China's National Health Commission (NHC) issued notifications regarding the approval and review of “Three new foods” (new food raw materials, new food additives, and new food-related products).

Rhodiola is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb included in the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China and is also listed in the Catalogue of Substances Permitted for Use in Health Foods. It is a commonly used raw material for health foods, primarily containing saponin compounds such as rhodioloside, which are associated with health functions including alleviating physical fatigue and improving tolerance to hypoxia. According to searches on official platforms, more than 500 registered health food products using Rhodiola or Rhodiola-derived products as raw materials have been approved to date.

On December 8, 2025, Tianjin Hesheng Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (HS SynBio) (Tianjin) received “FDA has no questions” letter. This marks the official recognition of its HMO 2'-Fucosyllactose (2'-FL) as GRAS.

On December 2, 2025, China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment (CFSA) issued 4 new food additives for public comments, including 1 new food nutrition enhancer, 1 food processing aid, 2 food additives with additional requirements for quality specifications. Comments are welcomed before January 2, 2026.

The recent approval of the Mycoprotein from Fusarium venenatum marks a significant milestone for Fushine Biotech. As the technical supporter, CIRS Group assisted the company throughout the entire application process. Previously, CIRS had already supported Fushine in securing U.S. market access for the same ingredient through the GRAS Notice. These approvals – both in China and the United States – not only reflect Fushine Biotech’s strong R&D capacity and high product quality, but also underscores CIRS Group’s professional expertise in global food regulatory compliance.

On November 27, 2025, National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China (NHC) issued an announcement (No. 7 of 2025) for “Three New Foods” with 14 products approved, including 3 new food raw materials, 8 new food additives, and 3 food-related products.