Perspective of Food Labelling Systems in Japan: An Update by Toshitaka Masuda, Food Labelling Division, Consumer Affairs Agency, Government of Japan. Presented at the 9th Seminar on Nutrition Labeling, Claims and Communication Strategies, August 4 ~ 5 August, Manila, Philippines.

1. Perspective of Food Labelling
Systems in Japan: An Update
Toshitaka MASUDA
Food Labelling Division,
Consumer Affairs Agency,
Government of Japan

2. Consumer Affairs
Agency (CAA)
• An external organ of
the Cabinet Office
• Established on
September 1, 2009

3. Our mission
• To protect and promote consumer’s interest
and benefit
• To ensure the voluntary and rational choice
of goods and services
• To ensure fair labelling of the goods closely
related with consumers’ life

4. Organization of Consumer Affairs Agency(As of 2014/7/1)
Consumer
Safety Division
Policy Planning
Division
General Affairs
Division
Personnel, accounting, organization, bill screening, Diet-related matters,
general affairs.
Information systems, Policy Evaluation, Public relations.
Legal System Planning
Division
▪ Organizing Relief System of the Damaged Consumers.
▪ Holding jurisdictions over the Whistle Blower Protection Act, Act on the Protection of
personal Information.
Consumer Education
and Local Cooperation
Division
Consumer Research
Division
Consumer Transaction
Division
Representation
Division
Food Labeling
Division
Prime Minister
Minister of State for Consumer Affairs
Senior Vice-Minister
Parliamentary Secretary of Cabinet Office
Secretary General
Deputy
Secretary General
4 Director- General
Counselor
Consumer Safety
Investigation Commission
Councils
Consumer Education
Promotion Council
CAA
(Consumer
Affairs
Agency)
Division Main Administrative Work
There are other specialized offices or teams such as:
“Office of Personal Information Protection”, “Cross-Division Team for enhancing the understanding
of consumers related to food and radioactivity to prevent harmful rumors”, etc.
▪ Holding jurisdiction of food labeling, such as the Act on Standardization and Proper Quality
Labeling of Agricultural and Forestry Products (JAS), Food Sanitation Act, Health Promotion
Act , etc.
▪ Holding jurisdictions of Act on Specified Commercial Transactions, Act on Regulation of
Transmission of Specified Electronic Mail, etc.
▪ Holding jurisdiction of representation, such as the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and
Misleading Representations, Housing Quality Assurance Act and the Household Goods
Quality Labeling Act.
▪ Consumer education, raising awareness and disseminating information to consumers.
▪ Policy Planning relating to local consumer policy and assisting /Promoting local consumer
administration.
▪ Handling over the matter relating to NCAC.
▪ Researching and Issuing the White Paper on consumer affairs.
▪ Disseminating information to businesses.
▪ Price Monitoring based on the Act on Emergency Measures for Stabilization of National Life
and Price Control ordinance.
▪ Collecting ,analyzing and disseminating information concerning consumer troubles and
Administrative action for “niche area case” that cannot be addressed by any other law,
pursuant to the Consumer Safety Act (relating to life and body injuries).
▪ Reporting serious product accidents according to the Consumer Product Safety Act.
▪ Planning of basic policy measures and coordinating risk communication based on the Food
Safety Basic Act.
▪ Secretariat of Consumer Safety Investigation Commission Survey of consumer accident to
support the Commission (relating to life and body injuries).
Planning/promoting the basic policies including Consumer Basic Plan.
Policy Coordination with relevant ministries and agencies.
Collecting , analyzing and disseminating information concerning consumer troubles and
Administrative action for “niche area case” that cannot be addressed by any other law,
pursuant to the Consumer Safety Act (relating to property).

5. • Perspective of Food Labelling
– Acts previously concerning food labelling
– A newly promulgated act: the Food Labelling
Act of 2013
– Introduction of mandatory nutrition labelling
5
Topics

6. • Perspective of Food Labelling
– Acts previously concerning food labelling
– A newly promulgated act: the Food Labelling
Act of 2013
– Introduction of mandatory nutrition labelling
6
Topics

7. Food Sanitation Act
Japan Agricultural
Standard Act* Health Promotion Act
Purpose
• To prevent the sanitation hazards
resulting from eating and drinking
Purpose
• To improve quality of agricultural
and forestry products
•To help consumers choose products
by enforcing proper quality labelling
of them
Purpose
• To improve nutritional status and
promote health
•Establishment of the necessary
criteria for the labelling of food to
serve for the purpose of marketing
(Article 19)
• Enforcing the regulations
concerning Food and Additives,
Apparatus and Containers and
Packaging
• Prohibition of the sales for the
products which do not conform to
the standards and/or criteria
•Giving approval to a person who
intends to conduct business from
the prefectural governor
• Enactment of labelling standards to
be observed by Manufacturer, etc.
(Article 19-13)
• Compliance with Standards for
Quality Labelling (Article 19-13-2)
• Enactment of Japanese Agricultural
Standards
• Grading in accordance with
Japanese Agricultural Standards
etc.
• Enactment of nutrition labelling
standards (Article 31)
• Compliance with Standards
(Article 31-2)
etc.
• Set a general policies
• Implementation of the national
health and nutrition survey
• Prevention of passive smoking
• License pertaining to Food for
Special Dietary Uses
etc.
Concerning
foodlabelling
Other
concerns
Issue 1: There had been a number of various notifications under these three Acts.
*Act on Standardization and Proper Quality Labelling of Agricultural and Forestry Products 7
Acts previously concerning food labelling in Japan

8. Food Sanitation Act
To ensure safety of products
Food Additives
Allergy
Ingredients
Net contents
country of origin
To improve quality of products
Instructions on keeping
Genetic modification
Name of
manufacturer
shelf-life
Name of
product
Nutrition Labelling is voluntary
Etc.
Etc.
Etc.
Issue 2: Several definitions differ among these three Acts.
Issue 3: Nutrition labelling was voluntary in the previous system.
8
Diagram of the Acts previously
concerning food labelling in Japan
JAS Act: Japan Agricultural Standard Act

9. • Perspective of Food Labelling
– Acts previously concerning food labelling
– A newly promulgated act: the Food Labelling
Act of 2013
– Introduction of mandatory nutrition labelling
9
Topics

10. One year round-table discussion
(From Sep. 2011 to Aug. 2012)
Report
(Aug. 2012)
Food Labelling Bill
Cabinet approval
(June 14, 2013)
Proclamation
(June 28, 2013)
To address these issues:
1. Some different definition among Acts
2. Many and various notifications under Acts
3. Voluntary nutrition labelling
10
Progress toward the new Act

11. Objectives:
• To ensure food safety while eating and
drinking
• To ensure general consumers’
opportunities to select food
subjectively and rationally
11
The New Food Labelling Act

12. Areas of focus:
• Establishment of a comprehensive system
regarding food labelling
: some different definitions among Acts are
standardized
(e.g. “fresh food” and “processed food)
• Introduction of mandatory nutrition
labelling
12
The New Food Labelling Act (Cont.)

13. Specific rules under the new Act
Food Labelling Standard
(Came into effect on April 1, 2015)
13

14. • Perspective of Food Labelling
– Acts previously concerning food labelling
– A newly promulgated act: the Food Labelling
Act of 2013
– Introduction of mandatory nutrition labelling
14
Topics

15. [Points of discussion]
Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) considered:
1. Which nutrients should be mandatory?
2. What kinds of food should be exempted?
3. What kinds of manufacturers should be exempted?
15
Mandatory nutrition labelling

16. [Points of discussion (cont.)]
4. Whether the breakdown of the declarations should be
introduced or not?
5. Whether amounts of sodium should be declared as
sodium or salt equivalents?
6. Reviewing Nutrient Reference Values (NRVs)
Energy
Protein
Fat
Carbohydrate
Sodium
Saturated Fatty Acid
Energy
Protein
Fat
Saturated Fatty Acid
Carbohydrate
Sodium
OR
16

17. [Points of discussion]
Consumer Affairs Agency considered:
1. Which nutrients should be mandatory?
2. What kinds of food should be exempted?
3. What kinds of manufacturers should be exempted?
17
Mandatory nutrition labelling

18. [Approach]
• Considering the following three points, requirements for nutrition
declaration were decided for the new standard.
1. The need of declaration for the consumer (in relation to the national
intake level, non-communicable diseases, etc.)
2. The feasibility of such labelling for the food business operators
3. International consistency
When a nutrient meets all of the above aspects, declaration of such nutrient
becomes mandatory.
[New Standard]
Mandatory Energy, Protein, Fat, Carbohydrates, Sodium (as Salt equivalent)
Voluntary Vitamins, minerals, etc other than those written above
Mandatory and Voluntary Nutrition Declaration

19. [Points of discussion]
Consumer Affairs Agency considered:
1. Which nutrients should be mandatory?
2. What kinds of food should be exempted?
3. What kinds of manufacturers should be exempted?
19
Mandatory nutrition labelling

20. Processed Food
(Prepackaged Food)
Fresh Food Food Additives
Mandatory *1 *1
Voluntary
*1 Excluding food for business use. Also, food products which fulfill the
following criteria can be omit the mandatory nutrition declaration labelling.
• A small packaged product
• Alcoholic beverages
• A food product contains insignificant amount of nutrients
• A food product sold by small business operators
[New Standard]
: applied : exempted
Target food products for nutrition declaration
in the Food Labelling Standard

21. [Points of discussion (cont.)]
4. Whether breakdown of the declarations should be
introduced or not?
5. Whether amounts of sodium should be declared as
sodium or salt equivalents?
6. Reviewing Nutrient Reference Values (NRVs)
Energy
Protein
Fat
Carbohydrate
Sodium
Saturated Fatty Acid
Energy
Protein
Fat
Saturated Fatty Acid
Carbohydrate
Sodium
OR
21

22. Nutrition Declaration
Reference amount (per 100g or 100ml,
per serving (indicate the mount for one
serving), per package or other unit)
Energy kcal
Protein g
Fat g
Carbohydrate g
Salt equivalent g
Format 1
Declaration of mandatory
nutrients only
Nutrition Declaration Format

23. Nutrition Declaration
Reference amount (per 100g or 100ml, per serving (indicate
the mount for one serving), per package or other unit)
Energy kcal
Protein g
Fat g
- Saturated fat g
- n-3 fatty acid g
- n-6 fatty acid g
Cholesterol mg
Carbohydrate g
- Available carbohydrate g
- Sugars g
- Dietary fiber g
Salt equivalent g
(Other nutrients other than written above) mg, μg
Format 2
Declaration of voluntary
nutrients in addition to
mandatory nutrients
*1 A voluntary
nutrient which
amount is not
declared can be
omitted from this
format.
*2 In case the use of a
frame is difficult, a
frame can be
omitted.
Nutrition Declaration Format

24. [Points of discussion (cont.)]
4. Whether breakdown of the declarations should be
introduced or not?
5. Whether amounts of sodium should be declared as
sodium or salt equivalents?
6. Reviewing Nutrient Reference Values (NRVs)
Energy
Protein
Fat
Carbohydrate
Sodium
Saturated Fatty Acid
Energy
Protein
Fat
Saturated Fatty Acid
Carbohydrate
Sodium
OR
24

25. • Derivation of NRVs
– Based on DGs or RDAs from 2015 Dietary
Reference Intakes for Japanese
– Target population: male and female aged 18
years and older
– A population-weighted average of age and
gender-specific DGs or RDAs for each
nutrient
* DG: Tentative Dietary Goal for preventing LRDs
* RDA: Recommended Dietary Allowance

26. • Nutrient Comparative Claims
• Non-addition claims
Health Claims

27. Claim Nutrient New Standard CODEX (reference)
“Reduced”
“Less than”
“Fewer” or a
synonymous
claim
Energy, Fat,
Saturated
Fat,
Cholesterol,
Sugars,
Sodium
• A minimum absolute
difference equivalent to the
figure defined as “low”
• A relative difference of at
least 25% between the
compared foods
• A minimum absolute
difference
equivalent to the
figure defined as
“low” or as a
“source” in the Table
to the Guidelines
• A relative difference
of at least 25%
between the
compared foods
(CAC/GL 23-1997)
“Increased”
“More than”
or a
synonymous
claim
Protein,
Dietary
fiber
• A minimum absolute
difference equivalent to the
figure defined as a “source”
• A relative difference of at
least 25% between the
compared foods
Minerals
(other than
sodium),
Vitamins
• A difference of at least 10%
of NRVs between the
compared foods (both solids
and liquids)
A difference of at least
10% of NRVs between
the compared foods
(both solids and liquids)
Nutrient Comparative Claims
* Underlined parts are the parts changed from the previous standard.

28. [Approach]
• In response to the inclusion of non-addition claims in the
Codex Guidelines (CAC/GL 23-1997), the same conditions
shall be prescribed in the new standard.
• “Sugars” have been included in the mandatory nutrition
declaration at the revision of the Codex Guidelines (CAC/GL
2-1985) in 2011, whereas “sugars” are voluntary
declaration in Japan. Therefore, it shall be mandatory to
declare the amount of “sugars” when making a claim
regarding the non-addition of sugars.
[New Standard]
The conditions prescribed in the Codex Guidelines
(CAC/GL 23-1997) were adopted.
Non-addition Claims

29. Non-addition Claims Reference
7.1 Non-Addition of Sugars
Claims regarding the non-addition of sugars to a food may be made
provided the following conditions are met.
(a) No sugars of any type have been added to the food (Examples:
sucrose, glucose, honey, molasses, corn syrup, etc.);
(b) The food contains no ingredients that contain sugars as an
ingredient (Examples: jams, jellies, sweetened chocolate, sweetened
fruit pieces, etc.);
(c) The food contains no ingredients containing sugars that substitute
for added sugars (Examples: non-reconstituted concentrated fruit juice,
dried fruit paste, etc.); and
(d) The sugars content of the food itself has not been increased above
the amount contributed by the ingredients by some other means
(Example: the use of enzymes to hydrolyzed starches to release sugars).

30. Non-addition Claims Reference
7.2 Non-Addition of Sodium Salts
Claims regarding the non-addition of sodium salts to a food, including
“no added salt”, may be made provided the following conditions are
met*.
(a) The food contains no added sodium salts, including but not limited
to sodium chloride, sodium tripolyphosphate;
(b) The food contains no ingredients that contain added sodium salts,
including but not limited to Worcestershire sauce, pickles, pepperoni,
soya sauce, salted fish, fish sauce; and
(c) The food contains no ingredients that contain sodium salts that are
used to substitute for added salt, including but not limited to seaweed.
* Competent authorities may permit the addition for technological purposes of
sodium salts other than sodium chloride as long as the final food would still comply
with the conditions for “low in sodium” claims as described in the Table to these
Guidelines

31. Thank you very much
for your attention.
Official mascot of Consumer Affairs Agency