The revision of the Cabinet Office Ordinance on labelling standards for milk, etc
Labelling standards for natural cheese, fermented milk and fermented milk drinks are to be partly revised.
This article is about "foods containing milk products as main ingredients".
The "Cabinet Office Ordinance on labelling standards for milk, etc." in the title is the shortened form of the "Cabinet Office Ordinance on labelling standards for milk, milk products, and foods containing milk or milk products as main ingredients"
The revised version of this ordinance was announced as of Jan.9th 2015. Those who working on products concerned should check it.
Background of the revision
This partial revision of labelling standards is due to the revision of compositional standards for milk products in the "Ministerial Ordinance on Milk and Milk products concerning Compositional Standards, etc."
Three major revised points as for compositional standards are as follows:
- Standard value of the number of Listeria monocytogenes contaminants in the compositional standards of natural cheese* has been set
(* Soft and semi-hard type only, which shall apply hereinafter). - Revision of compositional standards of fermented milk.
- Revision of the method for counting the number of lactic acid bacteria contained in fermented milk and fermented milk drinks.
Target milk products and labelling contents.
The following four types of milk products are applicable to the revision.
- Natural cheese which was sterilized by heating after being packaged.
- Natural cheese which is to be heated when being served on the table.
- Fermented milk which was sterilized after being fermented.
- Fermented milk and fermented milk drinks whose fermentation
temperature at the production is around 25 degrees Celsius.
And following phrases are to be required on the labels of these products, respectively.
- Natural cheese which was sterilized by heating after being packaged.
⇒ "Heated after being packaged" "Sterilized by heating after packed" "Sterilized by heating after being packaged", etc.
- Natural cheese which is to be heated when being served on the table.
⇒ "Categorized into XX" followed by the phrases such as "(Heating required)" , " (Need to heat)" or "(Eat after heating)", etc.
- Fermented milk which was sterilized after being fermented.
⇒ "Sterilized fermented milk", etc.
- Fermented milk and fermented milk drinks whose fermentation temperature at the production is around 25 degrees Celsius.
⇒ "Fermented at low temperature", etc.
In accordance with the revision, the Consumer Affairs Agency released "Q & A regarding partial revision of labelling standards for fermented milk, etc." on 20th January.
There stated about target foods (milk products), as well as an awareness-raising about Listeria monocytogenes for consumers.
Information about safety and security can be found also there. So it might be important to consider providing information in advance on the WEB site.
February 2015