Author Archives: Shin-ya Inoue

About Shin-ya Inoue

Label bank Co., Ltd. Regulatory Review and Development Born in Japan. Specializing in biochemistry, he is engaged in research work on ingredients and additives imported to Japan from overseas, and provides consulting services on food standards, additives, and food labeling.

JAS for Agricultural products with food chain information revised (Japan)

On March 29, 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) announced the partial revisions to the the Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS) for agricultural products with food chain information, and the partial revisions to the JAS for soybean milk and related products. On April 10, 2024, the revision to the JAS for dried fish products was also announced.
The revisions of the JAS for soybean milk and related products and for dried fish products are simply focused on organizing terminology. On the other hand, as for the JAS for agricultural products with food chain information, the revision includes adding the targeted items, “strawberries” and “rice”, to the existing items of “lettuce,” “melons,” and “grapes”(see the table below).

Added distribution process control standards for agricultural products in Japan

Food Item Distribution process control standard (outline)
Strawberry Low- temperature control Distribution process: Setting the temperature for delivery and storage and control with it*1
Shock and vibration control Pre-shipment: Shock control by application of cushioning materials designed and proven to absorb shock to the bottom of the shipping boxes (In the case where not applying shock-absorbing materials proven to have shock-absorbing effects, set the acceptable shock limit and number of shocks as standards and manage with them. )
Pre-shipment: Manage to mitigate the impact of fruit-to-fruit collision by using hanging containers or other means
Humidity maintenance and antifungal control Distribution process: Setting the conditions for humidity maintenance and anti-mold and control with them*2
Rice Low-temperature and relative humidity control Distribution process: Setting the temperature for delivery and storage and the relative humidity, and control with them*3
Antifungal control Distribution process: Manage to prevent mold caused by condensation (In cases where the temperature and the relative humidity fluctuate during receiving and shipping at a warehouse)

*1 In situations where low-temperature management is not possible during loading and unloading, establish the acceptable temperature ranges and dwell time and manage with them for cases where it is expected that quality may be affected.
*2 In the cases where the distribution process takes more than 3 days after the shipment to the retail store (e.g. for exporting)
*3 In situations where low-temperature and relative humidity control management are not possible during the delivery, establish the permissible cumulative time for not performing low temperature and relative humidity control management, considering the actual conditions of the distribution process, and manage with them for each type.

About labeling

The following labeling must be implemented under the conditions that meet the requirements including the management in accordance with the above criteria.

Required labeling items:

  • The term “Agricultural products with food chain information”
  • Identification number
  • How to provide the food chain information (URL, QR code, third party’s medium available to access)

The following items can be also indicated voluntarily.

Examples of voluntary labeling items:

  • An indication that the appropriate management was implemented under the condition where all the necessary requirements are met, and the outline of their distribution management standards
  • Shipment date
  • An indication regarding the producer, distributing manager (their names, addresses, contacts)
  • Labeling regarding the quality of rice (data measured by a grain sorter, etc.)

Summary

The JAS for “Agricultural products with food chain information” was established with the aim of enhancing the competitiveness of agricultural products including in overseas markets. Its target items are also expected to increase in the future. We are going to watch closely how labels of processed foods using agricultural products will be treated in the future.

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Agricultural products with food chain information newly set in JAS (Japan)

The Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS) for agricultural products with food chain information was enacted on March 30, 2023 and came into effect on April 29, 2023.

Background

Establishing the Smart Food Chain Platform (SFP), which is a platform for linking a series of data on agricultural products from production to sales, enables the setting of this JAS. The aim of setting up the JAS is to strengthen the competitiveness of agricultural products, including in overseas markets. While the JAS for the production processes, such as for the Organic products and for the Production details have already been set up, it is the first time that a standard that covers the distribution processes after production has been set up.

The target agricultural products and the food chain information to be indicated

Currently the distribution process control standards for three products, “Lettuce”, “Melon” and “Grape”, have been set up.

Food item Control items Distribution process control standard (outline)
Lettuce Precooling / Low temperature control Before shipment: Core temperature (0-10℃)
Distribution process: Setting and control of temperature for delivery and storage *1
Harvested in the morning Harvest time: From 12:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
Sales: Until the end of the day of harvest
Melon Low temperature control Distribution process: Setting and control of temperature for delivery and storage *1
Shock control Before shipment: Application of cushioning materials designed and proven to absorb shock to the bottom of the shipping boxes
Moisture maintenance and ripening control Distribution process: Setting and control of the conditions for moisture maintenance and ripening control *2
Grape Low temperature control Distribution process: Setting and control of temperature for delivery and storage*1
Shock control Before shipment: Application of cushioning materials designed and proven to absorb shock to the bottom of the shipping boxes
(Setting and control of the maximum allowable shocks and their frequency if a cushioning material is not applied)
Before shipment: Application of cushioning materials for fruits
Moisture maintenance and anti-mold treatment control Distribution process: Setting and control of the conditions for moisture maintenance and anti-mold treatment*2

*1 Setting and control for allowable temperature and allowable storage time in situations where low temperature cannot be controlled.
*2 In the cases where the distribution process takes more than 3 days for shipment to the retail store.

After those requirements are met, the necessary labeling (see the figure below for the requirements and labeling) will be made. One of the characteristics is the use of external media such as HP addresses and QR codes and so on for food chain information.

(Quoted from the public comment materials Ministerial Ordinance for Partial Revision of the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Act on Japanese Agricultural Standards)

Summary

At present, only three agricultural products – lettuce, melon, and grape – are subject to the standards, but the expansion of the scope to other agricultural products such as strawberries is expected. The Food Labeling Standards do not address the labeling for these agricultural products with food chain information when they are used as ingredients in processed foods at present. However, the Food Labeling Standards have the labeling rules for other JAS products such as organic to indicate as “special ingredients”. So, it is anticipated that there may be a future consideration to include rules for the labeling of agricultural products with food chain information in the Food Labeling Standards.

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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.

“Japanese Agricultural Standard for Miso” established (Japan)

On March 31, 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) newly established Japanese Agricultural Standard (JAS) for “Miso”. We would like to touch on its contents this time.

Perhaps surprisingly, there was no JAS for Miso until this establishment. The reason for this is that there is a variety of Miso in Japan, and it was difficult to standardize the quality of the various types of Miso. (The new JAS does not include compositional standards, but production methods of Miso) When looking at overseas markets, exports of Miso have been on an upward trend because of the spread of Japanese food culture and also Miso is listed as a priority export item in Japan. On the other hand, not much is known about what Miso is in the overseas market, considering the fact that foreign products imitating Miso are sold alongside Japanese Miso, and some Chinese soybean sauce and Korean Doenjang products are labeled as “みそ(EN: Miso)” or “Miso”, which can be confused with Japanese Miso. Under these circumstances, in order to strengthen the competitiveness of Japanese Miso in overseas markets, JAS for Miso was established to specify the traditional production methods.

Regarding the definition

Under Food Labeling Standards, Miso has been able to be sold with the name “Miso” if it satisfies the following definitions.

Those listed below in a semi-solid state :

  1. The one mixed either the following with salt and then fermented and matured
    -Steamed soybeans or steamed soybeans and grains such as rice, wheat, etc., added with steamed grains such as rice, wheat, etc., cultured with Koji mould
    -Soybeans steamed and cultured with Koji mould or to which steamed grains such as rice, wheat, etc. are added
  2. Foods to which sugar (meaning sugar, molasses, and sugars), flavor ingredients (meaning dried bonito, dried fish, powdered or extract concentrates of kelp, etc., fish soy sauce, hydrolyzed protein, yeast extract, and other similar foodstuffs. The same applies in Paragraph for Miso in Appended Table 4), etc. are added

* Followed by “Rice Miso”, “Barley Miso”, “Soybean Miso”, and “Mixed Miso”.

As for the definition of Miso in the JAS, a supplementary note has been added to “semi-solid state” as “something that does not flow and collapse when served on a plate.”, which is consistent with Food Labeling Standards. Therefore, when the product is sold as “Miso” based on the definition of Food Labeling Standards, the product is considered to be able to be certified as JAS by satisfying the requirements stated below.
On the other hand, other than the definition of Miso itself, a more detailed definition has been provided for the so-called “Koji”, since it is a basis of the traditional Miso production process in Japan. Koji is obtained from rice, barley or other grains steamed and added with cultured Koji mould, or soybeans steamed and added with cultured Koji mould.” This definition will be related to the requirements described below.

Seed Koji(Koji starter)

“This type is added for the purpose of supplying Koji mould when producing Koji, and it is produced with either of the processes as below:
-Dry with rice etc. on which spores(conidiospores) are epiphytic that are generated with inoculating and culturing Kouji mould into/on the rice etc.
-Separate only the spores mentioned above by sieving

*1 In general, the former is called “Granular Seed Koji” and the latter “Powdered Seed Koji.
*2 Excipients such as starch may be mixed in Seed Koji.

Koji

Grains such as rice and barley, soybeans, or their by-products [bran, rice bran, etc.] on which microorganisms are propagated.

Bara(loose) Koji

Among Koji, the one obtained by adding Seed Koji to steamed grains such as rice, and barley and cultivating Koji mould, which retains its original granular form

Rice Koji

Among Bara Koji, the one obtained by adding Seed Koji to steamed rice and cultivating Koji mould.

Barley Koji

Among Bara Koji, the one obtained by adding Seed Koji to steamed barley or hulless barley and cultivating Koji mould

Soybean Koji

Among Koji, the one obtained by adding Seed Koji to steamed soybeans and cultivating Koji mould

*There are two types of Koji: those that retain their original granular form (Soybean Bara Koji) and those that are crushed into a ball-like mass (Miso Tama Koji).

Requirements for standard labeling

The requirements of JAS for Miso are as follows.

Koji mould to be used

Koji mould used in the production of Miso shall be Aspergillus oryzae.

Koji

Koji used for the production of Miso shall be Bara Koji or Soybean Koji.

Management of seed Koji and production of Miso during the process

1 Management of seed Koji

Seed Koji must be managed properly not to mix with any other Koji cultures than Aspergillus oryzae from the time when management for the accepted Seed Koji is initiated until it is used in the production of Miso.

2 Management of Miso during the production process

Miso during the production process must be managed properly so that it is not mixed with the one cultured with Koji moulds other than Aspergillus oryzae or any other fermented products with them.

Production methods

Miso must be produced to conform to its definition.

Aspergillus oryzae, Aspergillus sojae, Aspergillus tamarii, and other Koji moulds are used to produce Miso. The JAS requires to choose only one of these types and to manage not to mix with other Koji moulds.

The above is a brief overview of JAS for Miso. The objective of strengthening competitiveness in overseas markets is behind it, so if you are considering exporting Miso, it would be worthwhile to apply for the Standards. We hope you find this information useful.

References

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We issue monthly e-newsletters, which provide you with the latest updates on food labeling/regulations in Japan.
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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.