Japan Amends Important Food Regulations

On Jul. 29, 2015, Japan MHLW announced the revision of “Ordinance for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act” and “Specifications and Standards for Foods and Food Additives”, which entered into effect after the announcement.

The main changes are summarized as below:

1. The requirements for the storage temperature of soft drinks (mineral water, frozen fruit drinks and fruit juice concentrate excluded) have been revised.

2. The limit for salmonella and the application standard for hydrogen sulfide in non-heated meat products, specific heated processed meat products, and heated meat products are revised.

3. The application standards of zinc gluconate, calcium gluconate, calcium silicate, and silicon dioxide in foods have been amended.