Newsletter
Columns on Food Labeling/Regulations in Japan
Category： Food Labels in General
Study on the Use of Digital Tools for Food Labeling
On October 1, 2024, the “First Subcommittee Meeting to Study the Use of Digital Tools for Food Labeling” (hereinafter referred to as the “Subcommittee Meeting”) was held. During this first gathering, the current status of the use of digital tools in Japan and abroad, as well as current issues related to them were discussed. In… more »
Current food waste issues triggered by expiry date labeling, Proposed legislation to uniform food expiry date labelling in California/USA, and General Situation around the world (including Japan)
On 28 September 2024, the State of California, USA, announced that a bill to uniform food expiry date labelling had been signed. Until now, the state has allowed for the use of “Sell by”, “Best by/before”, ‘Expired by’ as well as other recommended labelling methods such as “Best if Used By” and “Use By”, when… more »
2nd Discussion on Japan’s Front-of-Package Nutrition Labeling 2024
On August 27 2024, the ‘2nd Discussion on Japan’s Front-of-Package Nutrition Labeling in 2024’ (in Japanese) (hereinafter referred to as the Discussion) was held. In this issue, we would like to summarize the main topics at that occasion. The two topics discussed on the main agenda were the permissibility of labeling the state of the… more »
Trends in the revision of standards for allergen labeling in various countries
More than six months have passed since Japan ‘s Food Labeling Standards were revised on March 28, 2024, adding macadamia nuts to the list of recommended allergen labeling items (while also removing matsutake mushrooms). Since the number of 28 items (8 mandatory and 20 recommended) remains the same, it is difficult to see the changes… more »
Key points to keep in mind when Making Environmental Claims on Food Labeling in the United Kingdom
In July 2024, the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (Below we refer to it as the ASA) published “Environmental claims in food advertising,” which provides advice on making environmental claims on meat, dairy, and plant-based food labeling. The following is a brief overview of the advice. A recent consumer survey conducted by ASA on environmental claims… more »
Food Labeling Standards partly amended in relation to FFC (Japan)
Note: This article discusses the changes in Japan FFC systems, following the Beni-Koji Incident that happened earlier this year. On August 23, 2024, a partial amendment to the Food Labeling Standards (Japanese) has been published (some of which came into effect on September 1). The following are excerpts of the outline of the amendment organized… more »
Call for public comment on draft notification to make GMP mandatory in accordance with the revision of the system for FFC (Japan)
On July 12, 2024, the Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) began soliciting opinions on the standards for the manufacture or processing of tablets, capsules, and other Foods with Functional Claims (FFC) that Use natural extracts as ingredients (draft) (Japanese). The public comment was closed on August 16th. The draft notice is based on the decision made… more »
Outline of the Cabinet Office Ordinance (Draft) to partially amend Food Labeling Standards in accordance with the revision of the system for FFC (Japan)
Note: The current system of foods with functional claims (FFC) is summarized in a leaflet in English. The Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) recently solicited opinions on the Cabinet Office Ordinance (Draft) (Japanese) to partially amend the Food Labeling Standards (Japanese) in accordance with the revision of the system for FFC. (from June 27 to July… more »
Review of labeling rules for each individual item started (Japan)
In Japan there are two types of mandatory labeling standards. On May 29, 2024, the 1st Subcommittee on Reviewing Labeling Rules for Each Individual Item* (Japanese) (hereinafter referred to as “the Subcommittee”) was held. Subsequently, the 2nd Subcommittee (Japanese) was held on June 18. This time, we would like to summarize the review of labeling… more »
Newsletter on the Recent WG FS Proposal on Food Supplements
WG FS Proposal: Restriction or Ban on 13 Substances The Heads of European Food Safety Agencies (HoA) have recently released a significant report from their working group on food supplements (WG FS). The report proposes restrictions or bans on 13 substances commonly used in dietary supplements. This initiative aims to enhance consumer protection and ensure… more »