Of 298 health food products, only 30% passed human trials; the rest relied on animal testing, and animal rights groups are calling for regulatory changes

Do "health foods" claiming to have "health benefits" actually need to pass "human trials"? The Taiwan Animal Society Research Association held a press conference today (the 29th) pointing out that of the 298 health food products in the country, only 30% have undergone human trials to confirm their efficacy, while the remaining 70% of products claim health benefits based solely on animal experiment results. Even the Ministry of Health and Welfare has not required that laboratories conducting health food safety tests and health benefit tests comply with "Good Laboratory Practice for Non-clinical Laboratory Studies (GLP)."

Chen Yu-min, Deputy Chief Executive of the Taiwan Animal Society Research Association, questioned how health foods that have only undergone animal experiments can prove their efficacy is actually useful to humans. If laboratories are not required to comply with GLP standards, how can the validity of their testing methods be confirmed? "Unnecessary animal experiments are animal cruelty. Rigorous animal experiment design is not only harmful to animals but may also cause harm to humans."

Food and Drug Administration: Will review further with reference to international standards

The Taiwan Animal Society Research Association called on the Food and Drug Administration to amend the "Methods for Assessing Health Benefits of Health Foods," abolish animal experiments for all "efficacy assessments," and replace them with "human trials" to ensure efficacy is genuinely effective and that laboratory mice do not suffer from animal experiments; safety testing should also prioritize "non-live animal" alternative methods.

In response to the Taiwan Animal Society Research Association's appeal, Lin Chin-fu only responded that the Food and Drug Administration does not commit to amending the dual-track system, but it has heard outside voices and will review further with reference to international standards.