The First Meeting of the FY2025 Discussion Meeting on the Draft Revision of the guidelines for the legal product names of seafood (Shellfish) (Japanese)was held on June 2, 2025.

The discussion proceeded based on the background and framework of the existing guidelines (Japanese) and the reasons behind the proposed revisions (Japanese). In this article I would like to provide an overview of the background behind the guidelines.

Background of the guideline establishment

After the Act on Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS) was revised in July 2000, it became mandatory to label fresh food products with their names and other relevant information. However, seafood had its own unique circumstances.

These included the influx of diverse imported seafood species as well as variations in naming for the same species depending on the region or stage of growth. As a result, inquiries to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) regarding seafood naming were increasing sharply from both consumers and related businesses.

In response to this situation, the Fisheries Agency (an external bureau of MAFF) established the guidelines for the legal product names of seafood (Japanese) in 2007. These guidelines were later incorporated as an attachment to the Food Labelling Standards Q&A (Japanese) following the establishment of the Food Labelling Standards in 2015, and this framework remains in place today.

Regarding the revision of the guidelines

As the guidelines had not been revised since their establishment in 2007, the relevant authorities found themselves in a situation where they were unable to accommodate changes in the seafood naming landscape, including the expansion of imports/distribution of new species as well as name revisions due to developments in taxonomy.

As a result, specific requests for revision were raised by relevant countries and industry stakeholders, prompting the establishment o f a discussion meeting to address these issues.

Since the target seafood categories span a wide range of taxonomic groups (including fish, crustaceans, cephalopods, and shellfish) and require thorough examination based on specialized knowledge, the revision process has since been carried out in step, as follows.

-The guidelines for the legal product names of fish were revised in FY2020.
-The guidelines for the legal product names of crustaceans were revised in FY2022.
-The guidelines for the legal product names of cephalopods were revised in FY2024. -And it is now the turn of the guidelines for the legal product names of shellfish to be discussed (as of 2025).

Policy for Revising the Guidelines

Ahead of the revisions, the authorities stated that the following points should be taken into consideration:

-New naming should be as easy as possible for general consumers to understand.
-New naming should not be mistaken for a well-known premium seafood product, potentially causing disadvantages to consumers

For details, see the draft revision of the guidelines for the legal product names of seafood (Shellfish excerpt) (Japanese).

Future Steps

Discussions will now continue in terms of shellfish distribution based on information gathered through interviews with small and medium-sized businesses regarding the actual practices of shellfish distribution and other related matters.

Because certain seafood names may mislead consumers, we recommend that those involved in handling fresh or processed seafood stay informed about upcoming changes to seafood labelling regulations.

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