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Consumer Safety Information
Various food safety systems have been established for the health and safety of consumers.
Food-related safety system
- To ensure the safety of food consumed by consumers, various food safety systems have been implemented including the food standards and specifications management system, food safety management certification standard system, food traceability management system, genetically modified food safety evaluation system, food labeling system, food nutrition labeling system, and country-of-origin labeling system, etc.

Division

Description

Standards and specifications for food, etc.

The use of additives that are chemical synthetics, the standards and specifications of which are not prescribed; substances containing such chemical synthetics as food additives; the sale of foods containing food additives; or the manufacture, importation, processing, use, cooking, storage, subdivision, transportation or display of such foods for sale. (The main text of Article 6, 「Food Sanitation Act」)

Food safety management certification standard system

The Minister of Food and Drug Safety may determine and publicly notify the standards for each type of food or nutrient to allow the comprehensive checking, evaluation and management of harmful elements at all stages of the food production process, including the management of raw materials, manufacturing, processing, cooking, subdividing or distribution (hereinafter referred to as "hazard analysis and critical control points" (HACCP)), to ensure that harmful materials are not mixed with foods or that foods are not contaminated in the whole process. (Article 48, 「Food Sanitation Act」)

Food traceability management system

The term "food traceability" refers to the tracking of foods with safety issues to identify their causes, and the controlling of such foods by taking all necessary measures such as recording and managing information on the foods at each stage of their production, processing and distribution. (Subparagraph 13, Article 2, 「Food Sanitation Act」)

Genetically modified food safety evaluation and labeling system

Foods created using ① a technology that artificially recombines genes, or inserts a nucleic acid forming a gene directly into a cell or into a cell organelle, or ② cell fusion technology that goes beyond families in taxonomy; or foods or food additives that are manufactured or processed with agricultural products, livestock products, fishery products, etc.,cultivated or bred by utilizing biological engineering technologies falling under any of the following as their raw materials (hereinafter referred to as "genetically modified foods, etc.) shall be labelled as genetically modified foods: Provided, however, that the foregoing shall be limited to genetically modified foods, etc. in which genetically engineered DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) or genetically engineered protein remains after the manufacturing or processing thereof (Article 12-2(1), 「Food Sanitation Act」).

Food labeling system

Foods, food additives or livestock products shall be labeled with warnings for consumer safety and any other necessary matters as prescribed by Ordinance of the Prime Minister so as to provide consumers with accurate information about foods, food additives or livestock products. (Article 4(1), 「Act on the Labeling and Advertising of Foods」)

Food nutrition labeling system

A person who manufactures, processes, or repackages foods in smaller amounts or imports foods, etc. (excluding any apparatus, container and packaging; hereinafter the same shall apply in this Article) shall place a nutrition facts label on foods, etc. as prescribed by Ordinance of the Prime Minister. (Article 5(1), 「Act on the Labeling and Advertising of Foods」 and Attachment 4 of the 「Enforcement Rules, Act on the Labeling and Advertising of Foods」)