JHNFA is a public interest incorporated foundation authorized by the Cabinet Office in 2011. It was originally founded in 1985 as an incorporated foundation authorized by Japan's health ministry with the aim of promoting public health. Since its foundation, JHNFA has been operating the JHFA mark certification program in which voluntary standards are set for various dietary supplement ingredients and the JHFA mark is granted to health food products that are certified to meet the said standards.

In 2005, JHNFA launched a GMP certification program for the manufacturing of dietary supplements,
and in 2010, a new third-party safety certification program for health foods.

JHNFA also promotes the appropriate food labelling practices in compliance with the relevant regulations. For the Foods with Health Claims of Japan(i.e. Foods for Specified Health Uses(FOSHU), Foods with Function Claims(FFC), and Foods with Nutrien Function Claims(FNFC) and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (FOSDU), JHNFA collects and provides useful information and conducts various research activities. Especially for FOSHU and FFC,JHNFA provides practical support by providing one- on-one consultations or checking application/notification documents to the competent authorities.

With all the above activities, JHNFA is contributing to the sound development of health food businesses and the promotion of consumers' confidence in health foods in our country.

＜NOTE＞
Due to the public nature of the organization, JHNFA does not offer business matching services for foreign companies entering the Japanese market or expanding their business in Japan. JHNFA also does not provide consultation on product export to Japan.


Name: Japan Health and Nutrition Food Association

President (honorary):
Akiko Santo (member of the House of Councillors)

Director General:
Tetsuya Yajima,M.D(former Director-General of Health Bureau, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)

Address:
7-27 Ichigaya-sadohara 2-chome, Shinjuku, Tokyo 162-0842, Japan
Phone: (81) 3-3268-3134 Fax: (81) 3-3268-3136
E-mail: jhnfa@jnhfa.org　　URL: https://www.jhnfa.org

Activities:

  • Establishment of voluntary standards for dietary supplements and management and promotion of the certification program pertaining to the said standards
  • Operation and promotion of the third-party GMP certification program GMP for dietary supplements
  • Management and promotion of the third-party safety certification program for health foods
  • Support and promotion of applications and notifications for foods with health claims defined in Japan (foods for specified health uses, foods with function claims, and foods with nutrient function claims) and foods for special dietary uses.
  • Promotion, education, surveying and research with regard to appropriate nutritional labeling according to food labeling standards
  • Publication of academic journals and translation of foreign literature
  • Training and certification of food quality advisers
  • Collection, management and provision of domestic and foreign information and materials


JHFA stands for Japan Health Food Authorization.

This certification program, which is based on voluntary standards established by the Association from 1986, allows applicants' products to display the JHFA mark following a rigorous review process that, among other things, checks their authenticity and ensures that they meet safety and hygiene standards, that proper manufacturing standards are applied, and that labeling and advertising comply with applicable laws and regulations.

Licensees will be required to take a test once a year and report the results, and undergo re-assessment every four years. We aim to be a trusted beacon that helps consumers select the right products through display of the JHFA mark on many health foods. As of December 2017, approximately 300 products are allowed to display the JHFA mark.


Products that bear this mark are certified health foods that meet the voluntary standard related to health food quality established by the Association.

69 standards



GMP, which stands for Good Manufacturing Practice, is a guideline on the production control and quality control of products and raw materials. Compliance with GMP is essential to ensure the safety and quality of products and raw materials. Implementation of this program is expected to boost the confidence and peace of mind of consumers in relation to health foods.

The Association has been operating a GMP certification program through surveys and assessments since April 2005, and certified factories are permitted to display the GMP Factory Mark in their company's advertisements and PR materials. Moreover, the GMP Product Mark can be displayed on individually approved products.

The system of the third-party GMP certification program is implemented with support from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and in accordance with the ministry's guidelines. The Japan Health Food & Nutrition Food Association has been accredited as a third-party GMP certification body by the Certification Management Council for In-House Safety Assessment of Health Foods supported by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare since 2014.

GMP Factory Mark

This mark can be displayed by factories that pass the Association's review.

140 plants

GMP Product Mark

This mark can be displayed on products that are manufactured at a GMP certified factory and for which an application has been submitted and successfully passed.

140 products



This program is designed to ensure the safety of health foods. Under this program, the safety of raw materials is evaluated by the applicant and the results are reviewed by an examination committee comprised of academic experts.

The system of the third-party safety certification program for health foods is implemented with support from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and in accordance with the ministry's guidelines. The Japan Health Food & Nutrition Food Association has been accredited as a third-party safety certification body by the Certification Management Council for In-House Safety Assessment of Health Foods supported by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare since 2010.

This is a third-party certification program for the safety of health foods. This is the Japanese version of self-affirmed GRAS.
This mark is displayed for raw materials that have been self-certified as being safe.
Products for which an application has been submitted and that have successfully passed the review process can bear the mark.

51 Raw materials　/　8 Products