Monthly Archives: April 2023

Revision draft of Japan’s Specifications and Standards for Food Additives

On February 9, 2023, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) published the 10th edition of Japan’s Specifications and Standards for Food Additives (draft). Under the provisions of Article 21 of the Food Sanitation Act, the specifications and standards and the standards for use of food additives shall be included in Japan’s Specifications and Standards for Food Additives. Since the first edition was published in 1960, it has been revised periodically until the Supplement 2 to the 9th edition of Japan’s Specifications and Standards for Food Additives published in July 2022. This time, I would like to summarize the main points of the revision draft of the 10th edition of Japan’s Specifications and Standards for Food Additives.

Background and Policy on the 10th Edition of Japan’s Specifications and Standards for Food Additives

Since June 2008 the Discussion meetings have been held for 12 times, during which

  • Requests for comments on the results of the discussions were made
  • The collected comments for the requests were discussed
  • Considering the above comments, the 10th edition of Japan’s Specifications and Standards for Food Additive (draft) was created.

This revision draft has been created reflecting the actual conditions of sales (and so on) by increasing the opportunities to solicit comments and to consider the issues.

Main points of the revision draft

The main revisions from the current 9th edition of Japan’s Specifications and Standards for Food Additives, Supplement 2 are from (1) to (9) as follows (draft).

(1) The specifications and standards (45 stipulated items) for 45 Existing food additives (Widely used as food over a long period of time in Japan) shall be newly established.

“Agrobacterium succinoglycan”, “Aspergillus terreus glycoprotein”, “Calcinated sea urchin shell calcium”, “Urushi Wax”, “Elemi resin”, “Sodium chloride-decreased brine”, “Rumput roman extract”, “Licorice oil extract”, “Enzymatically hydrolyzed guar gum”, “Quercetin”, “Glucosamine”, “Smoke flavourings”, “Gentian root extract”, “Spice extracts”, “Enzymatically modified lecithin”, “Rice bran wax”, “Cane wax”, “Artemisia sphaerocephala seed gum”, “Shellac wax”, “Jelutong”, “Sandalwood red” “Jamaica quassia extract”, “Vegetable carbon black”, “Essential oil-removed fennel extract”, “Horseradish extract”, “Calcinated coral calcium”, “Crude potassium chloride”, “Chicle”, “Tea extract”,  “Capsicum water-soluble extract”, “Trehalose”, “Coffee bean extract (paste and liquid)”, “Tricalcium phosphate”, “Hyaluronic acid”, “Phytin (extract)”,  “Branched cyclodextrin
 “, “Heptane”, “Gallic acid”, “Myrrh”, “Mevalonic acid”, “Japan wax”, “Mannentake extract”, “Rosin”, “Rosemary extract (water-soluble) ”, “Rosemary extract  (non-water-soluble) ”

(2) Regarding the specifications and standards of 2 Designated additives (approved by the Minister of MHLW) and 5 Existing additives, and 2 additive preparations, respective sub-specifications constituting the specifications and standards shall be specified as individual specifications.
*Please refer to “Regarding the establishment of the 10th edition of Japan’s Specifications and Standards for Food Additives” (pg1&2) for those additive names in the Reference below. (The same shall apply hereinafter)

(3) For the specifications and standards of 106 Designated additives (129 items), 58 Existing additives (85 items), and 2 additive preparations (3 items)
the followings shall be implemented;
-Improvement of test operability and accuracy
-Unification of names and structural formulas based on IUPAC nomenclature
-Unification of descriptions of terms, examples calculation formulas (and so on)
-Change of reagents used, etc.

(4) Elemental analysis and other test methods shall be newly defined as general test methods in “B. GENERAL TESTS”. For some existing general test methods, the used technology shall be updated, the apparatus/test solutions used shall be changed, the descriptions shall be maintained. Methoxy Determination shall be deleted.

(5) In the “C. REAGENTS, SOLUTIONS, AND OTHER REFERENCE MATERIALS” section, reagents in accordance with the provisions of the newly established General Tests and the specifications and standards shall be added, the old names of reagents shall be deleted, the items for each reagent shall be added/revised/deleted.

(6) The section on infrared reference spectra shall be deleted from “C. REAGENTS, SOLUTIONS, AND OTHER REFERENCE MATERIALS” and stipulated in each article of “D. MONOGRAPHS”.

(7) With regard to the sections “A. GENERAL NOTICES”, “B. GENERAL TESTS”, and “C. REAGENTS, SOLUTIONS, AND OTHER REFERENCE MATERIALS”
the followings shall be implemented;
-Improvement of test operability and accuracy
-Substitution of hazardous reagents for other reagents
-Unification of description methods of names and structural formulas, descriptions of terms/examples, (and so on) based on IUPAC nomenclature

(8) In the sections “E. STANDARDS FOR MANUFACTUREING” and “F. STANDARDS FOR USE”, “sand” and “insoluble mineral substance” shall be deleted and their specific substance names such as Pearlite, Granite porphyry shall be listed as shown in the table below.

the 9th edition of Japan’s Specifications and Standards for Food Additivesthe 10th edition of Japan’s Specifications and Standards for Food Additives (draft)
STANDARDS FOR MANUFACTUREINGTalc, Sand, Diatomaceous earth, Silicon dioxide or Magnesium carbonate, or similar insoluble mineral substances…..Talc, Diatomaceous earth, Silicon dioxide, Magnesium carbonate, Pearlite, Granite porphyry, Activated white clay, Cristobalite, Zeolite, or Vermiculite….
STANDARDS FOR USE…Acid clay, Kaolin, Bentonite, Talc, Sand, Diatomaceous earth and Perlite and similar insoluble mineral substances…..Acid clay, Kaolin, Bentonite, Talc, Diatomaceous earth, Perlite, Granite porphyry, Activated acid clay, Cristobalite, Zeolite and Vermiculite….

(9) Designated additives that have been newly designated or whose the standards for use have been revised since the creation of the Supplement 2 to the 9th edition of Japan’s Specifications and Standards for Food Additives shall be listed in “D. MONOGRAPHS” and the “F. STANDARDS FOR USE”.

Future schedules

Public comments on this issue are expected to be solicited, so keep an eye on the future move on the revision.

References


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We verify the conformity of ingredients and additives with the standards for use in Japan based on specifications such as formulation lists. We also verify the conformity of the proposed labeling of ingredient names, nutrients, etc. with the labeling standards based on specifications such as formulation lists.

FOP, GMO, and small packaged food labeling: Latest Updates to the Food Labeling regulations for some countries

Introduction

The food industry is growing incredibly fast in all aspects due to the variety of products and their resources. As a result, government agencies are working day and night to ensure that consumers are well-informed and guided in their food choices. We would like to share with you some highlights of the Food labeling regulations around the world.

1. Front of Pack labeling in Brazil

The above cannot pass without mentioning the ‘Front of Pack’ labeling, a very encouraging labeling trend that has been adopted under different names in the countries such as Singapore (Nutri-grade), Australia (Health Star Rating), UK (Color-coded GDA) and the European region (Nutri-score). Now, other countries are following this “healthy” trend, such as Brazil, which was enforced last October 2022.

Such legislation aims to inform the consumer clearly and simply about the high content of certain nutrients relevant to health. The “magnifying glass” symbol must be displayed on the front of the packaging, at the top, indicating one or more nutrients, as the case may be when foods contain the following amounts of nutrients:

A high content of:Solid and semi-solid foodsLiquids
Added sugar15 g or more per 100 g7.5 g or more per 100 ml
Saturated fat6 g or more per 100 g3 g or more per 100 ml
Sodium600 mg or more per 100 g300 mg or more per 100 ml

The followings are the “magnifying glass” symbol models that can be used:

a) Models for 1 nutrient b) Models for 2 nutrients
c) Models for 3 nutrients

In addition to the above, other changes have been made to the Nutrition Facts panel and changes have been proposed to the criteria for the use of nutrition claims to avoid inconsistencies with the FOP label.

The transition period for companies to adjust their existing labels is until next October 9th, 2023 for food in general.

2. GMO Labeling updates

Advanced technologies are being incorporated smoothly into our plates, and some consumers are still quite reserved when it comes to their food. However, the science of genetically modified organisms continues to grow faster and wider. Therefore, governments are trying to further simplify the idea of GMO foods and to clarify their advantages while putting more care into drafting the legislation.

A. Malaysia: ‘Guidelines on Labelling of Food and Food Ingredients Obtained Through Modern Biotechnology’ were published.

On Jan 16th, 2023, guidelines on labeling GMO products and ingredients, were published, highlighting the necessity of displaying the origin of food and food ingredients obtained through modern biotechnology on the label as follows: “gene derived from (origin)”.

Please also note, that even if the food and food ingredients are produced from a GMO, but do not contain GMOs, it is mandatory to display the following statement: “produced from genetically modified’’.

The above labeling requirements apply ONLY to foods containing, consisting of, or produced from GMOs in a proportion greater than 3% of the food ingredients ‘considered individually, or foods consisting of a single ingredient, provided that this presence is adventitious or technically unavoidable’. The guidelines also detail labeling requirements, such as where to place the statement for single and multiple-ingredient products, and labeling exemptions.

Example of Labeling

Legislation

(d) in the case multi-ingredient foods, the information shall appear in the list of ingredients immediately following the ingredients; and

(e) the statement “contains genetically modified ingredient” shall be stated on the principal display panel in close proximity with the name of the food and shall be in not less than 10 point lettering.

Example of Labeling

Legislation

(c) for the purpose of paragraphs (a) and (b), in the case of single-ingredient foods, the information shall appear on the principal display panel in close proximity with the name of the food and shall be in not less than 10 point lettering;

B. USA: ‘Feed Your Mind’ A smart move from the FDA

GMO foods have been in our markets since the 1990s and continue to increase in quality and variety. The FDA has taken several steps to ensure these products’ safety and provide consumers with as much information as possible.

For example, the FDA has launched a new educational initiative and published a brochure in July 2022 to explain GMOs and reassure consumers about health and allergies. Since the term “GMO” itself is known to consumers as a reference to foods derived from genetic engineering, this initiative introduces the term “bioengineered” instead.

A new national standard that defines bioengineered foods as ‘those that contain detectable genetic material that has been modified through certain lab techniques and cannot be created through conventional breeding or found in nature’, has been enforced on January 2022.
It is now mandatory to disclose food labeling if they are bioengineered.

3. Labelling of processed food served in restaurants with the meals

On January 12th this year, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration released a draft article requesting public opinion in regards to packaged processed foods served with meals at restaurants.

According to Article 22 of the Food Safety and Sanitation Management Law, food labeling should display all the mandatory labeling items in Chinese.

However, in regards to food labels whose maximum surface area is less than 20 cm2, and following the “Small Packaged Foods Exemption from Partial Labeling” (小包裝食品免一部標示) regulation, one of the following methods can be used:

A. Only labeling of the product name, expiration date, name and address of the manufacturer and the responsible domestic company, country of origin of the product and origin of specific ingredients published by the authorities, and warnings such as allergens declaration.

Or,

B. Only labeling of the product name, and expiration date, in addition to a “QR Code” or other electronic methods, containing the rest of the labeling information, along with the statement “scan here to get product label information” or equivalent any other equivalent statement.

For this reason, and to protect the very interest of consumers, pre-packaged food products served with meals at restaurants such as Ketchup and Mayonnaise, shall now be labeled under the above legislation if the maximum surface area of the outer package is less than 20 cm2

Therefore, the previously released letter exempting small-package food products served with meals in restaurants from individual labeling is now suspended.

Conclusion

It is clear how consumers’ interest in receiving enough information about their food products is considered of big importance to governments. There are numerous reasons for this, such as the fast-growing health issues in populations and also the digitalization of information.

In our next article, we will give you a summary of the release from the FDA on The Draft Guidance on the Labeling of Plant-Based Milk Alternatives on February 22nd of this year, which also includes the FDA’s recommendations on the use of voluntary nutrient statements. In addition to the above, we will share with you any important new updates to the Food labelling regulations around the world.

References


Newsletter Signup

We issue monthly e-newsletters, which provide you with the latest updates on food labeling/regulations in Japan.
If you want to make sure to not miss any issue, please click below.

Related Service

Research Services on Ingredients & Food Labeling -For the Japanese Market-
We verify the conformity of ingredients and additives with the standards for use in Japan based on specifications such as formulation lists. We also verify the conformity of the proposed labeling of ingredient names, nutrients, etc. with the labeling standards based on specifications such as formulation lists.