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.

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.

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.

To accurately address the common questions frequently encountered in the acceptance of special foods and related administrative licenses, and to effectively improve applicants’ efficiency and experience, the Food Review Center of the State Administration for Market Regulation issued the “Summary of Common Issues on the Acceptance Work” on October 28, 2025.

Pursuant to the Announcement (No.38, 2023) jointly issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation, National Health Commission, and National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine regarding the Directory of Health Functions Permitted for Health Food Claims for Non-Nutrient Supplements (2023 Edition) (hereinafter referred to as “the Claims”), all registered non-nutrient supplement health foods will be regulated in accordance with the Administrative Measures for the Catalog of Health Food Ingredients and Health Functions and the Claims for five years from the date of this announcement.

FAQs on the Replacement of Health Food Registration Certificate in China (Vol. 4)

FAQs on the Replacement of Health Food Registration Certificate in China (Vol. 3)

FAQs on the Replacement of Health Food Registration Certificate in China (Vol. 2)

According to data from the SAMR's Special Food Query Platform, five imported health food products secured registration approvals in the summer of 2025. This marks the first such approvals granted in seven years.

In order to help enterprises better understand the filing status of health food (dietary supplements) in China, CIRS has gathered statistics on health foods approved in 2025 (as of June 30) and analyzed them from multiple perspectives.