“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 »

Draft guidance for appropriate labeling of plant-based milk alternatives issued (U.S.)

Note: This article is related to a foreign regulation (United States of America). For more articles regarding Japanese regulations please refer to our newsletter page. On February 22, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued the draft guidance to ensure appropriate labeling of plant-based milk alternatives (PBMA) sold as substitutes for milk and… more »

Mandatory allergen labeling for walnuts and others:“Food Labeling Standards”, ”Regarding Food Labeling Standards”, ”Food Labeling Standards Q&A” Revised (Japan)

On March 9, 2023, the Consumer Affairs Agency(CAA) announced revisions to “Food Labeling Standards”, “Regarding Food Labeling Standards”, and “Food Labeling Standards Q&A”. The main revisions include the mandatory labeling of allergens for walnuts and the addition of rapeseed producing EPA / DHA* to the list of specified genetically modified agricultural products**. In this article,… more »

FOP, GMO, and small packaged food labeling: Latest Updates to the Food Labeling regulations for some countries

Introduction The food industry is growing incredibly fast in all aspects due to the variety of products and their resources. As a result, government agencies are working day and night to ensure that consumers are well-informed and guided in their food choices. We would like to share with you some highlights of the Food labeling… more »

Labeling Method in Accordance with the Revision of the labeling system for genetically modified foods (Japan)

As of March 31, 2023, the transitional period for the revision of the conditions for the voluntary labeling of “non-GM” will end. This time, we have reviewed the revised labeling method. Main points of revision Notice:*1 Unintentional presence of material: Certain contamination of genetically modified agricultural products at a certain level even under proper IP… more »

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 »