Japan - Amendment of the Food Labeling Standards

​Japan Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) announced the Summary of the amendment of the Food Labeling Standards regarding labeling of foods containing designated ingredients or substances that require specific cautions, raw buffalo milk labeling, net weight labeling of agricultural product pickles, cleaning/polishing date labeling of rice, and nutrient content claims

(1) Labeling of foods containing designated ingredients or substances that require specific cautions

Pursuant to Article 8 of the amended Food Sanitation Act (Act No. 233 of 1947) based on the Act to Partially Amend the Food Sanitation Act (Act No. 46 of 2018), the Food Labeling Standards shall be partially amended so that the foods containing designated ingredients or substances that require specific cautions are to be labeled with their designated ingredients or substances in order to ensure the safety and autonomous or rational choice of consumers.

(2) Raw buffalo milk labeling

The Food Labeling Standards shall be partially amended to add raw buffalo milk to the category "Milk" in accordance with the amendment of the Ministerial Ordinance concerning the Ingredient Standards for Milk and Dairy Products (Ordinance of the Ministry of Health and Welfare No. 52 of 1951).

(3) Net weight labeling of agricultural product pickles

The Food Labeling Standards shall be partially amended in accordance with the amendment of the measuring methods of agricultural product pickles under the Measurement Act (Act No. 51 of 1992) reflecting the practical situation of those products.

(4) Cleaning/polishing date labeling of rice

The Food Labeling Standards shall be partially amended to resolve the problem of logistics/sales and waste caused by unsold rice labeled with old cleaning/polishing date, which was requested by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF) based on the discussion in the Rice Section Meeting of the Working Group regarding Logistics Rationalization of Rice.

(5) Nutrient content claims

Currently, the nutrients and energy may be indicated to be low when they are less than the standard values. The Food Labeling Standards shall be partially amended to make it possible to indicate low nutrients and energy when they are equal to the standard values from a viewpoint of practical situation of distribution and international harmonization. 

Refer to the Food Labeling Standards (Ordinance of the Cabinet Office No.10 of 2015), The Food Labeling Act (Act No. 70 of 2013)

Final date for comments : 15/03/2020