South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) is drafting new rules to tighten Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards, as well as labeling requirements for customized health functional foods, with public feedback accepted until August 31.
The aim is to improve manufacturing and quality management standards for health functional foods.
The MFDS, for example, will introduce GMP standards when reprocessing – a procedure where repeating an established manufacturing process for semi-finished products that have deviated from predetermined manufacturing or quality-control standards – is involved.
Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) is an unapproved ingredient, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has stated in a notice sent to two companies based in Gujarat, India.
As seen by NutraIngredients, the notice dated July 24, 2026, was directed at the product Decode Age NMN, which is said to contain the “unapproved ingredient Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN)” and is sold through e-commerce platforms such as Amazon India and 1mg.
NMN supplements can be widely found on India’s e-commerce platforms. However, it is not yet approved for use as an ingredient in food supplements in India, said Rahull Batra, a food consultant for health supplements and nutraceuticals at Regulatory Nation (RRN Solutions LLP).
China’s State Administration of Market Regulation (SAMR) has drafted new laws regarding the filing and registration procedures for health foods containing probiotic raw materials, which are now open for public consultation until August 24, 2026.
Five main changes are introduced in the proposal, including increasing the minimum colony-forming unit (CFU) during product shelf life and the need to specify the probiotic strains used as well as their functionalities and genetic stability.
The Chinese regulator said the proposed laws seek to ensure strain traceability and quality control.
The Asia-Pacific dietary supplement sector saw several major regulatory developments in the first half of 2026, including increased safety scrutiny of botanicals—particularly ashwagandha in India and Australia—as well as tighter controls health supplement traceability and advertising in Singapore and Vietnam and more.
Other major developments included China’s approval of new joint health claims and Taiwan’s proposed reclassification of Traditional Chinese Medicine ingredients under a revised regulatory framework.
Ashwagandha, already under regulatory scrutiny in India and Europe, is once again in the spotlight after Australian authorities warned of “very rare risk of liver injury” associated with its use.
In a medicine safety update issued on July 7, the Australian regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), noted that cases of liver injury linked with herbal preparations containing ashwagandha (W. somnifera) continue to be reported both in Australia and internationally.
In its latest safety update, the TGA said the total number of possible ashwagandha-related liver injury reports received was 11 and that it would continue to assess the weight of emerging evidence to determine whether regulatory action is required.
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