Japan is analysing feedback from the food industry on plans for new – albeit voluntary – front-of-pack nutrition labels.
The deadline for submissions to Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency on its plan expired today (21 October).
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Details of ingredients, additives and per-serving values have been required in Japan since 2015 but are typically found on the reverse of packaging.
Under a wide-ranging initiative launched by the Japanese government last year to improve the country’s health, the agency has proposed a system of front-of-pack labels is introduced on a voluntary basis.
The proposals suggest a simple graphic providing five per-serving figures, for energy expressed in kilocalories (kcal), as well as protein, fat, total carbohydrates and salt equivalent in grammes. Each per-serving figure will also specify a figure for percentage of daily recommended intake.
Food-industry trade bodies including the Japan Food Industry Association declined to comment when approached by Just Food.
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By GlobalDataJapan’s Consumer Affairs Agency is scheduled to hold a review meeting in the coming weeks and publish recommendations by 31 March.
Asahi Group Holdings markets a range of food products in Japan including Ippon Manzoku snack bars and Amano soups.
A spokesperson said: “Once the guidelines are issued, we will carefully consider how to respond, taking into account customer needs, product features, and the characteristics of our target consumers.”
Label Bank Co. Ltd., a Japanese consultancy focused on labelling regulations in the country, said food manufacturers could back the idea.
“The draft guidelines were formulated with consideration for ease of implementation by companies in the food industry and I believe that if the labelling formats are straightforward and the information they provide is easy to understand, then they will gain support,” Hiroyuki Kawai, Label Bank’s CEO, said.
Kawai argued the labels could encourage some firms to reformulate products to tap demand for healthier food in Japan.
“If displaying the percentage of a daily intake value is seen as a disadvantage when an item is compared to a competing product, that could potentially lead to a manufacturer adjusting its ingredients and, ultimately, serving as a catalyst for innovation and changing product formulations,” he said.
“As the new labels will display details on daily intake, I think this will have a positive effect on products that presently make claims about being beneficial, such as being low in certain ingredients or fortified in others.”
