Newsletter
Columns on Food Labeling/Regulations in Japan
Category： Food Labels in General
Report of the discussion on the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations published (Japan)
On January 13, 2023, the Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) published “the report of the discussion on the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations”. The report was compiled after 10 rounds of discussions starting in March 2022. The report summarized issues to be considered in the future including the “introduction of Commitment Procedure that allows… more »
Report on mandatory allergen labeling for walnut: The period of transitional measures is until March 31, 2025 (Japan) ~Summary on other future revisions and transitional measures~
On December 13, 2022, a report was submitted in response to a proposal for partial revision of Food Labeling Standards (such as mandatory allergen labeling for walnuts). According to the report, the transitional period from recommended to mandatory allergen labeling for walnuts is March 31, 2025. The partial revision is expected to be promulgated and… more »
Proposed labeling revision of “Healthy” claim on foods in the US
On September 28, 2022, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a proposed rule to update the definition of the nutrient content claim “healthy”, which was set in 1994. The existing definition has limits for total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium and to qualify, foods must also provide at least 10% of the Daily Value… more »
Japan’s System for the Operation of Geographical Indication Protection reviewed
The Geographical Indication (GI) Protection System is a system to protect names of products with properties such as quality and social reputation, and so on that have been nurtured by natural, human, and social factors and environments unique to the region as regional intellectual property. The system has already been introduced in more than 100… more »
Importance of Guidelines related to the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations (Japan)
This month, we will take up the topic on the page of “Guidelines related to the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations” (the Consumer Affairs Agency) for business operators handling foods to check it again. I hope this will be good opportunity to remind people of the importance of “Misleading representations” under the Act… more »
Comments invitation on partial revision draft of Food Labeling Standards started ~Addition of walnuts to the list of Specified allergens (mandatory labeling items for allergens) and Addition of rapeseed producing EPA/DHA to the list of specified genetically modified agricultural products~(Japan)
On October 13, 2022, the Consumer Affairs Agency announced the start of invitation for public comment on the “Partial Revision of Food Labeling Standards.” The public comment was closed on November 12. Summary of the revision According to the public comment procedure, the outline of the revision draft is as follows. Revision of mandatory allergen… more »
Differences in food labeling and its concept between the United Kingdom and Japan
Since the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) entered into force on January 1, 2021, the free trade agreement between the UK and Japan has continued to evolve, bringing tremendous benefits to both countries in their main markets including food and beverage. Regarding the current state of the UK market, in 2020, about half (46%)… more »
Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS) for “Processed Food Suitable for Vegetarians or Vegans” established (JAPAN)
On September 6, 2022, the Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS) for processed foods suitable for vegetarians or vegans was established. It was added to the JAS list on the website of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on the same day, and we would like to summarize the outline and key points for labeling below.… more »
Revision of the National Food Safety Standards for Beverages and Cheese in China
On July 28, 2022, National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China (NHC) and State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) announced 36 New National Food Safety Standards and 3 Amendments. This time, we will focus on “beverages” and “cheese” among the newly established national food safety standards, and compare them with the current standards.This… more »
Inviting comments started about the partial revision(draft) “Matters to be Noted relating to Health Foods under the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations and the Health Promotion Act” (Japan)
On August 9, 2022, the Consumer Affairs Agency(CAA) prepared and announced a partial revision (draft) of “Matters to be Noted relating to Health Foods under the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations and the Health Promotion Act”. From the same day until September 7, comments were invited through public comments. The purpose of the… more »