Japanese version of FOPNL now under consideration

On October 26, 2023, the Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) announced that they would hold discussions about the basic direction of the Japanese version of the “Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labeling (FOPNL)”. This time, I would like to summarize the FOPNL system, which is currently under consideration, based on the documents published at the 1st Discussion Meeting on… more »

UK: About Precautionary allergen labelling (PAL)

The Food Standards Agency(FSA) updated the Technical Guidance on food allergen labelling and information requirements on the 4th September, 2023. The guidance recommends that food business operators, in particular, review the use of precautionary allergen labels (PALs*). (*PAL is used to inform consumers of the possible unintended presence of allergens in food. e.g. “May Contain… more »

Guidelines for Notification of Foods with Function Claims partially revised (Japan)

On September 29, 2023, the Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) announced the partial revision of the Guidelines for Notification of Foods with Function Claims (FFC) ([For food-related business operators] About notification of FFC). As outlined in the partial revision draft for Guidelines for Notification of FFC (Summary), the major points of the revision are compliance with… more »

France: Restriction on the use of meat names on labels for plant-based foods (alternative meats) ~Current situation of plant-based foods in the EU~

Summary France announced revised proposals banning the use of meat names like “steak” and “spare ribs” for plant-based food made in the country on September 4, 2023 as it seeks to avoid “misleading claims” of some meat alternatives. The ban of the use of meat names will be applied to 21 meat names. However, over… more »

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 »