General foods must not claim therapeutic effects: this applies to labels, instructions, ads, and live-stream scripts alike

10. General foods must not claim therapeutic effects: this applies to labels, instructions, ads, and live-stream scripts alike

Cost: No cost involved. Simply review all promotional copy, product description pages, and live-stream scripts. The hard part is resisting the urge to use phrases like “lowers blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol” or “treats constipation.”

In plain terms: Labels, instructions, and ads for ordinary foods must never claim that the products can prevent or treat diseases. Apart from ads for medical products, drugs, and medical devices, no other ads may make such claims or use language that sounds pharmaceutical in nature. Penalties amount to 1–3 times the advertising spend; if the spend cannot be calculated, fines range from 100,000 to 200,000 RMB. In severe cases, the business license may be revoked.

Benefit: The Food Safety Law states: “Labels and instructions for food and food additives must not contain false information, nor may they make any claims regarding disease prevention or treatment. Producers and sellers bear full responsibility for the accuracy of such content.” Likewise, “Food advertising must be truthful and lawful; it must not contain false information or make any claims regarding disease prevention or treatment. Food producers and sellers are accountable for the veracity and legality of their ads.” In short, packaging, instructions, and ads must never assert any disease-preventive or curative effects, and sellers must accept full responsibility for any such claims. Violations of advertising rules are punished under the Advertising Law, which explicitly bans any non-medical ads from making disease-treatment claims or using medical terminology that might confuse consumers. Offenders face mandatory cessation of advertising, a public retraction of their claims, and fines ranging from 1–3 times their advertising spend; if the spend cannot be determined, fines of 100,000–200,000 RMB apply. Severe violations incur fines of 3–5 times the advertising spend, or 200,000–1,000,000 RMB, and may even result in revocation of the business license, effectively ending operations nationwide.

Evidence grade: A

Sources: National People's Congress Standing Committee (third amendment in 2025). Food Safety Law (Articles 71, 73, 125, 140). <https://flk.npc.gov.cn/detail?id=7b5a76d0461745a08d3f964916b87ef3>; National People's Congress Standing Committee (amended in 2021). Advertising Law (Article 17, 58). <https://flk.npc.gov.cn/detail?id=ff8081817ab231eb017abd6bd860052d>

Notes: Terms like “health benefits” are also prohibited for ordinary foods. Only foods officially registered as health supplements may make such claims, and only those listed in the national catalog are permitted. Consumers should be wary of such language; further guidance is provided in Section 6, Item 10. This regulation applies not just to physical packaging and ads, but also to online product pages, live-stream scripts, and social media posts — all of which constitute advertising material.