Newsletter
We issue monthly e-newsletters, which keep you up to date with the latest developments surrounding food labeling in Japan.
Ever-changing regulations can be an hassle to keep up with (especially when in Japanese!): we share here the most relevant content and provide a professional analysis of the current situation and future outcomes for businesses engaged in the food sector (including impact on importation and consumers behavior), written by our experienced expert.
Note: The main features of each newsletter can be accessed from this page but if you are interested in receiving the original "Label bank Communication" and want to make sure to not miss any issue, please sign up by filling in the form provided here and click "SEND".
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Past issues
- March 2019
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While more and more countries are recently lowering barriers of trade such as customs duties and adopting systems to introduce each other’s products (on their respective markets) .........more
- February 2019
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Food label news: Highlights of 2018 and upcoming schedules
While not as numerous as the year before (in 2017), there were still several and various announcements and changes that happened regarding food labeling this past year (in 2018). If you engage in food labeling activities, you must probably be busy in dealing with the new standards .........more
- February 2019
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Partial amendment of the Food Labeling Act ～Notifications of voluntary recall became mandatory～
On December 14, 2018, a law to partially amend of the Food Labeling Act (Act No. 97 of 2018) was published. According to this amendment, notifications to an administrative body became mandatory in case of voluntary recall of food products by a company..........more
- January 2019
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On Standards of use for ingredients/Labeling standards and what it implies for Import/Export
The food system in Japan is a lot different from the ones in other countries. For instance, items subject to allergen labeling are different. .........more
- January 2019
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Food allergen labeling and exportation to foreign countries
A while ago I got the opportunity to see a food product (made in Japan) bearing a mention “allergen free” and which was scheduled to be exported abroad. When I asked the manufacturer, they said they were using the labeling since .........more
- Decmber 2018
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Speaking of labeling claims in the food labeling standard, many people may think of Nutrient Function Claims ("Rich in XXX", "Contain nutrients", etc.), but in a broad sense, the purpose is to prevent misleading representations of various kinds claims. Therefore, we would like to summarize them in this mini-column. .........more
- Decmber 2018
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About "the points to be kept in mind regarding the labeling methods and content of fine prints"
While this is not the latest news (it was revealed a few months ago), the Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) announced its “points to be kept in mind regarding the labeling methods and content of fine print” (hereinafter referred to as “the points of attention”) in June 2018; we would like to tackle this topic this month. .........more
- November 2018
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Discussions about the "overall situation of food labeling" have started
On August 30, 2018, discussions about the "overall situation of food labeling" started at the food labeling committee of the Cabinet Office's Consumer Commission. Therefore, we would like to feature it in this month's entry. .........more
- October 2018
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"Liquid infant formula" was added to food for special dietary use.
On August 8, 2018, the regulation "About license of labeling for food for special dietary use" (March 31, 2017 No. 188) was partly amended and "liquid infant formula" was added to the list of foods for special dietary use. .........more
- September 2018
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'About the flexible operation of food labeling following the 2018 floods in Japan'
On July 13, 2018, the Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) notified relevant organizations that the food labeling standard would be operated flexibly in the disaster affected areas subject to the Disaster Relief Act (under a joint statement with the Ministry of Agriculture, .........more
- August 2018
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The amended Food Sanitation Act was published
On June 13, 2018, a law to amend parts of the Food Sanitation Act was published. It has attracted much attention as: - sanitation management by HACCP became mandatory for all food business operators (including restaurants).........more
- July 2018
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On May 11, 2018, the Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) published "the 2nd edition for the guidelines for nutrition labeling based on the food labeling standard." The structure was significantly altered from the 1st edition, which was published at the same time as the new food labeling standard..........more
- June 2018
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Labeling for available carbohydrates and sugars
Available carbohydrates and sugars were added as a part of the widening of target functional ingredients/substances on March 28th. In regards to this, we will review the labeling system for available carbohydrates and sugars in Japan..........more
- June 2018
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The "Guidelines on notification of foods with function claims" were amended
The Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) partly amended the “guidelines on notification of foods with function claims” (hereinafter referred to as the “guidelines”) and “Q&A about foods with function claims.” on March 28, 2018. .........more
- May 2018
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Once more, we would like to feature the labeling system for genetically modified foods in our monthly publication. The 10th "discussion on the labeling system for genetically modified food" was held on March 14, 2018. .........more
- April 2018
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The 8th and 9th “discussions on the labeling system for genetically modified food” (Consumer Affairs Agency) were held respectively on January 31, 2018 and February 16, 2018. The preliminary draft of the “report on the discussion on the labeling system for genetically modified food .........more
- March 2018
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The 6th “discussion on the labeling system for genetically modified food” was held on November 17, 2017 and the 7th one was held on December 18, 2017. Discussions regarding “The methods of labeling genetically modified food” (point of debate 3 and 4, as follows) are still going on, .........more
- February 2018
Food label news: Highlights of 2017 and upcoming schedules
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Label bank Newsletter thanks to your support. We have continued publishing this newsletters modestly throughout the years, but it feels that time flies by so quickly. We truly hope you will continue reading our publications this year as well. .........more
- January 2018
The Food Labeling Standard Q&A was amended on September 1, 2017, and more detailed information about the "produced domestically" mention for the country of origin labeling (hereafter COOL) is written in it. This time we will try to summarize all aspects of the .........more