The Federation of Institutes of Food Science and Technology in ASEAN (FIFSTA), together with IUFoST, FIRN, GFoRSS, FHSF, TSRI, and ProPak Asia, co-organized the session “ASEAN Health Claims: From Science to Practices” on 12 June 2026 during ProPak Asia 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand.

The session highlighted the growing importance of functional foods, novel ingredients, and local functional ingredients in ASEAN. It also emphasized the need to strengthen science-based health claims and improve alignment between research, development, and regulatory systems across the region.

The meeting served as a meaningful continuation of the Regional Think Tank on Innovation-Ready Food Regulatory Systems in Asia, held in Hong Kong in April 2026. Building from earlier discussions, the session provided a timely platform to examine how ASEAN can move forward in developing clearer research and development roadmaps for health claim approval.

A key point raised during the session was that the supervision of functional and healthy foods requires strong scientific evidence on both food safety and health effects. Pre-market review remains an important mechanism for substantiating health claims and ensuring that products entering the market are supported by credible evidence.

However, many ASEAN countries continue to face challenges due to fragmented regulatory jurisdictions, gaps in technical capacity, and differences in national regulatory requirements. These challenges can delay product development, prolong market entry, and limit the ability of local enterprises, especially SMEs, to realize the benefits of investment in research and innovation.

The session also underscored the missed opportunities in using indigenous and traditional ingredients for both health promotion and economic development. With stronger evidence-based health claim pathways, ASEAN countries can better support value addition from local resources, promote food and health security, and strengthen the competitiveness of regional food businesses.

Through this session, FIFSTA reaffirmed its commitment to advancing food science and technology cooperation in ASEAN. The discussion marked an important step toward building stronger regional collaboration in functional food innovation, regulatory alignment, and research capacity development.

Further discussions on this important topic are expected to continue at Fi Asia 2026 in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the IUFoST World Congress 2026 in Hong Kong.