Basic Labeling Matters for Processed Foods for General Consumers
| Item name | Generic term, not a product name |
| Names of raw materials | Describe the names of used raw materials in accordance with the descending order of the proportion in weight among all raw materials. Allergens: Seven items such as eggs and flour must be indicated. Genetically modified foods: Regarding the covered 33 processed foods, if an item contains any genetically modified agricultural products or agricultural products without separating genetically modified ones, that fact must be indicated. |
| Additives | Describe the names of used additives in accordance with the descending order of the proportion in weight among all additives. Information on additives may be indicated in the column for names of raw materials by clearly separating it from that on raw materials. Allergens: items such as eggs and flour must be indicated. |
| Net contents | Weight (g or kg). volume (mil or I), or quantity (number, etc.) |
| Best-before date | Describe in the order of year, month and day. Regarding processed foods for which the period from the production date to the best-before date is over three months, only the year and month may suffice. |
| Preservation method | Specifically describe the conditions for preservation until the indicated use-by date or date best-before date. Descriptions here are not matters to note after opening. |
| Name of the country of origin | For imported processed foods, the name of the country of origin must not be omitted. |
| Importer | When a person engaged in food-related business that assumes responsibility for the content of labeling is an importer, the column title should be “Importer.” Describe the importer’s address (location of the office) and name (the individual’s name when the Importer is an individual, and the corporation’s name when the importer is a corporation; it is not acceptable to only state the shop name.) |
(Note) In addition to basic labeling matters common to all processed foods, individual mandatory labeling (Article 4, Appended Table 19 of the Food Labeling Act) and labeling methods (Appended Table 20) are prescribed for some foods.
Source: <https://www.mipro.or.jp/english/English_Document/hti0re0000000vi2 att/pdf_publications_0111g018.pdf>
