Category： Food Labels in General

Format Revision of the JAS (Japan)

Summary On August 23, 2023, the Council for the Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS) was held to discuss revisions of eight standards, including the JAS for Jams and the JAS for brewed vinegar. The main changes in this revision are as follows,  -the format of the JAS will be changed to the simpler one in accordance… more »

FSANZ published a draft food regulatory (Australia/New Zealand)Measure for Carbohydrate and sugar claims on alcoholic beverages

On the 24th July, 2023, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) called for public comment to clarify requirements with respect to carbohydrate and sugar claims on alcoholic beverages. Standard 1.2.7 in the Food Standards Code currently permits voluntary claims about carbohydrate content in alcoholic beverages. However, the Code lacks clarity around the extent of these… more »

Future of allergen labeling (Japan) (Consideration of adding macadamia nuts to the list of recommended labeling)

The Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) held the 5th Advisors’ Meeting on Food Allergen Labeling  in June 14, 2023. After making walnuts obligatory for the allergen labeling in March this year, the CAA published a policy plan to add “macadamia nuts“ to and remove “matsutake mushrooms“ from the list of recommended labeling for allergens in the… more »

Request for re-verification of notified documents for Foods with Function Claims issued (Japan)

On July 3, 2023, the Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) requested in writing that relevant organizations re-verify the scientific evidence for Foods with Function Claims (FFC), and the reverification request has already been notified to and made public by CAA (Re-Verification of Notification Documents Concerning FFC (Request)). Furthermore, CAA published the Measures for FFC based on the… more »

Recent Trends in Food Labeling Standards in U.S.A., Australia, and Canada

The following is a summary of the trends in the food labeling standards of the United States, Australia, and Canada. U.S.A. Update On May 16, 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a draft Compliance Policy Guide regarding major food allergen labeling and cross-contact. Overview The draft specifies FDA’s enforcement policy for managing cross-contact… more »

Recent Food Labeling Trends on Sustainability

Recently, sustainability has been the motive behind some new movements and legislations. Sustainability in the food industry includes various different aspects, and in this newsletter, we will explore two prevalent food labeling regulations trends that focus on food waste and plastic circular practices of foreign countries, particularly the EU and Korea. We would like to… more »

“Fair Trade Conference for Olive Oils” newly established and its Code added to Fair Competition Codes (Japan)

The Code for the labeling of “Extra virgin olive oils” was approved to be included in Fair Competition Codes on February 17, 2023, and a public notice was issued on March 22, 2023, pursuant to Paragraph 4 of the same Article. Background According to the international standards of the International Olive Council (hereinafter referred to… more »