Perishable foods

Quality Labelling Standard for Perishable foods

(Notification No. 514 of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
of March 31, 2000)
(UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION)

(Scope of Application)
Article 1. This standard shall apply to perishable foods.

(Definitions)
Article 2. In this standard, the definition of terms in the left column of the following table
shall be as given in the corresponding right column.
Term Definition
Perishable foods Those listed in the Attached Table as foods other than processed
foods [those provided under Article 2 of the Quality Labelling
Standard for Processed Foods (Notification No. 513 of the Ministry of
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of March 31, 2000)]
Retailers Distributors who sell perishable foods to general consumers

(Matters to be Labelled)
Article 3. Regarding the quality of perishable foods, the matters to be labelled by
distributors (including those who are not distributors and carry out packaging, etc. if they
perform the labelling; the same shall apply hereinafter) shall be as described below,
provided, however, that this provision shall not apply to the case that any persons carry out
the manufacture (including the collection or catch; the same shall apply hereinafter) of
perishable foods and sell them to general consumers directly or provide the facilities to
have them eat or drink those foods.
(1) Name of the food
(2) Country of origin

2. With regard to the specified products listed under Article 5 of the Cabinet Order for the
Measurement Concerning Sale of Specified Commodities (Cabinet Order No. 249 of 1993)
and filled in containers or packed, the matters to be labelled on the containers or packages
by distributors shall be net contents and name or trade name and addresses of the
distributors in addition to those cited in the items of the preceding paragraph.

(Method of Labelling)
Article 4. In labelling the matters provided in Items 1 and Items 2 of Paragraph 1 of the

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preceding article and net contents in Paragraph 2 of the same article, the distributor shall
comply with the provisions of the following items:

(1) Name of the food

The name shall be declared with a common name expressing its content.

(2) Country of origin

The country of origin shall be declared as provided below based on the facts, provided,
however, that, in the case that the perishable foods of the same kind and of multiple origins
are mixed, the country of origin of each of the said perishable foods shall be declared in
descending order of weight percentage in the total, and, in the case that the perishable
foods of different kinds and of multiple origins are assorted, the country of origin of each of
the said ones shall be declared in addition to the corresponding names of them.

a. Agricultural products
A domestic product shall indicate the name of a prefecture, and an imported product shall
indicate the country of origin. However, any domestic product may indicate the name of city,
town, village or another generally known name of place, and any imported product may
indicate the generally known name of place as its place of origin. In this case, the indication
of a prefecture or a country of origin may be omitted.

b. Livestock products
A domestic product (except those which have been produced by slaughter from imported
live cattle within three months of their import, (in the case of imported live swine, within two
months of their import, and in the case of any live livestock other than cattle and swine,
within one month of their import)) shall indicate that it is domestic, and an imported product
(including those which have been produced by slaughter from imported live cattle within
three months of their import, (in the case of imported live swine, within two months of their
import, and in the case of any live livestock other than cattle and swine, within one month of
their import)) shall indicate its country of origin. However, any domestic product may
indicate the name of prefecture, city, town, village or another generally known name of its
main raising place as its place of origin. In this case, the indication of domestic may be
omitted.

c. Marine products
(a) A domestic product shall indicate the name of an water area where the product has
been produced (referred to as “name of water area” hereinafter) or the name of district

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(meaning the name of the prefecture to which the main fish farm belongs), and an imported
product shall indicate the country of origin. However, if it is difficult to indicate the name of
water area, it may be replaced by the name of the port where the marine product has been
landed or the name of the prefecture to which such port belongs.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of (a) above, any domestic product may indicate the
name of the port where the marine product has been landed or the name of the prefecture
to which such port belongs in addition to the name of the water area, and any imported
product may indicate the name of the water area in addition to its country of origin.

(3) Net contents

Net contents shall be declared in accordance with the examples under the Measuring Law
(Law No. 51 of 1992).

2. The labelling of the matters provided under Paragraph 1 of the preceding article is
required at a conspicuous place of the container or package, in the invoices or in the
statement of delivery by distributors other than retailers, and also at a conspicuous place of
the container or package or at a signboard in close proximity to the product or another
conspicuous place by retailers.

3. The labelling of the matters provided under Paragraph 2 of the preceding article is
required at a conspicuous place of the container or package.

4. The letters used for the labelling on the containers or packages shall be in the
uniform-sized printing type and the size equivalent to or larger than 8 point as provided for
in the Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) Z8305 (1962).

(Other Matters to be Labelled and Method of Labelling)

Article 5. Other than those provided under Article 3 hereof, the product which has been
treated with ionizing radiation (limited to those kept in container or package) shall carry a
written statement to that effect at a conspicuous place of the containers or packages.

(Matters Prohibited from Labelling)

Article 6. The following matters are prohibited from labelling:
(1) Any wordings which may mislead consumers into believing as if a product were by far
more excellent or advantageous than it is;
(2) Any wordings which are in conflict with those expressed in accordance with the
provisions of Article 3; and

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(3) Any letters, pictures, photographs or other labelling which may mislead consumers
about the quality of the product.

(Other Standards of Quality Labelling of Perishable Foods)

Article 7. Other than those provided under Article 3 through the preceding article hereof,
distributors shall label the quality of perishable foods as otherwise provided by the Minister
for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

2. If otherwise provided under the standard of quality labelling established by the Minister
for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries under the provisions of Article 19-8, Paragraph 2 of
the Law Concerning Standardization and Proper Labelling of Agricultural and Forestry
Products (Law No. 175 of 1950) other than those provided under Article 3 through the
preceding article and the preceding paragraph, such provisions shall apply.

Attached Table (related to Article 2)

1. Agricultural Products (including mushrooms, wild vegetables and bamboo shoots)
(1) Rice (including those obtained through preparation, sorting and washing after
harvesting, and cut only, and mixed with polished barley and miscellaneous cereals)
Brown rice and Polished rice
(2) Miscellaneous cereals (including those obtained through preparation, sorting and
washing after harvesting, and cut only)
Corn, Foxtail millet, Barnyard millet, Buck wheat, Proso millet, Grain sorghum, Job’stear,
and other miscellaneous cereals
(3) Pulses (including those obtained through preparation, sorting and washing after
harvesting, and cut only, and excluding immature ones)
Soybeans, “Azuki” beans (red beans), Kidney beans, Peas, Cowpeas, Broad beans, Mung
beans, Peanuts and other pulses
(4) Vegetables (including those obtained through preparation, sorting and washing after
harvesting, and cut only and frozen only)
Root vegetables, Leaf and stem vegetables, Fruit vegetables, Savory herbs and garnishes,
Mushrooms, “Sansai” group (wild vegetables), Fruity vegetables and other vegetables
(5) Fruits (including those obtained through preparation, sorting and washing after
harvesting, and cut only, and frozen only)
Citrus fruits, Kernel fruits, Stone fruits, Berries, Edible nuts, Tropical and sub-tropical fruits,
and other fruits

2. Livestock products

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(1) Meats (including those cut and sliced only, and chilled and frozen only)
Beef and veal, Pork and boar meat, Horse meat, Mutton and Lamb, Goat and kid meat,
Rabbit meat, Poultry meat and other meats
(2) Market poultry eggs (limited to those with shells)
Chicken eggs, Duck eggs, Quail eggs and other market poultry eggs

3. Marine products (including those which are round, semi-dressed, dressed, fillet, cut,
slices of raw fish (excluding those assorted), shuckled shellfishes, and frozen and defrosted
only, and live products)
(1) Fishes
Freshwater fishes; Salmons and trouts (anadromous type); Herrings and sardines;
Skipjacks, tunas and mackerels; Jacks, yellow tails and dolphinfishes; Cods; Teleosteam
flat fishes; Sea basses, sea breams and croakers and other fishes
(2) Shelled molluscas
Fresh water clams and flesh water snails; Oysters; Scallops; Ark shells; Hard clams and
little neck clams; Surf or hen clams; Abalones; Top shells and other shelled molluscas
(3) Aquatic animals
Cuttle fishes; Octopus; Shrimps and prawns, lobsters, horse-shoe crubs and cray-fishes;
Crabs; Other crustaceas; Sea urchins and sea cucumbers; Turtles and other aquatic
animals
(4) Marine mammals
Whales, porpoise and other marine mammals
(5) Sea weeds
Tangles, “Wakame”, Lavers, Perforated sea lettuces, Seaweeds of a kind used for
manufacturingagar-agar and other sea weeds

Supplementary Provisions
1. This notification shall come into force on the date of enforcement of the Law Revising
Part of the Law Concerning Standardization and Proper Labelling of Agricultural and
Forestry Products.
2. With respect to the perishable foods other than broccolis, taros, garlics, gingers,
“Shiitake” mushrooms, edible burdocks, asparaguses, peas (green pod) and onion, this
standard shall apply to those which are sold on and after July 1, 2000.

NOTE: In labelling according to this standard, all the matters shall be stated in Japanese
because the purpose of the quality labeling standards is to help general consumers choice
(Article 19-8, Paragraph 1 of the Law).