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On February 7, 2025, Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) issued Proposal No. 235080081, seeking public comment on amendments to the Guidelines for Setting Food Expiration Date Labeling. This proposal aims to help food-related enterprises establish expiration and best before dates based on scientific data while promoting food safety and waste reduction.
Key Amendments:
1. Definition of "Expiration Date" and "Best Before Date"
Processed foods must display either a "best before date" or an "expiration date," defined as follows:
Expiration date refers to the date after which a product may lose safety due to deterioration;
Best before date indicates when the product is expected to maintain its quality.
However, an investigation found that some products only distinguish expiration and best before dates as "5 days" without considering the proper definitions. It is necessary to encourage setting dates based on these definitions.
2. Food Characteristics Indicates
Expiration dates should be set scientifically and reasonably, considering food characteristics through objective tests like microbiological and chemical analysis. However, surveys reveal that enterprises often use standard hygiene indicators, such as "total bacterial count," and "coliform count", which leads to unnecessarily short expiration dates. The proposal recommends considering additional microorganisms and food-specific factors for more accurate expiration date setting.
3. Safety Factor
The safety factor should reflect variations in product quality and environment, typically set above 0.8 for stable products.
However, surveys indicate that around 40% of products are set with a safety factor below 0.8, including foods like retort pouches and canned goods that don't need such a factor.
The proposal suggests reviewing the 0.8 guideline, aiming to set the factor closer to 1 for stable foods and removing it for those with guaranteed safety. Conversely, foods prone to microbial growth should have a safety factor adjusted to their characteristics.
4. Edible Period Beyond Best-Before Date
A survey found that about 60% of enterprises using expired food for consumption are open to disclosing the "edible period" beyond the best-before date if necessary. Since the best before date, as defined in Japan's food labeling standards, indicates that food remains safe to eat if properly stored, enterprises are encouraged to provide relevant information upon consumer request to help reduce food waste.
FAQs on Date Labeling
Based on this guideline, ChemLinked has also summarized key considerations for food businesses, especially importers, to ensure compliance with Japan's food labeling regulations regarding expiration and best before date labeling.
Q1: Who determines the expiration date or best before date?
A1: Manufacturers, processors, or retailers set expiration or best before dates for domestic foods, while importers do so for imported foods. These dates must be scientifically determined based on hygiene, quality, packaging, and storage. The labeling responsible party ensures accuracy and compliance.
Q2: What should be considered when labeling the expiration or best before date for imported foods?
A2: For imported foods that do not have a Japan-compliant expiration or best before date, the importer must verify the information with the overseas manufacturer, conduct scientific tests (such as microbiological, chemical, and sensory tests), and set an appropriate date based on the findings. Importers are also responsible for ensuring that the basis for the expiration or best before date is properly understood, even if the food already has a date compliant with Japanese regulations.
Additionally, special attention must be given to the food’s storage and transportation conditions when setting the expiration date.
Q3: How should the expiration or best before date be displayed on food packaging?
A3: The label must clearly indicate "Expiration Date (消費期限)" or "Best Before Date (賞味期限)" in Japanese, followed by the year, month, and day (or year and month), ensuring readability for consumers.
The font size should typically be at least 8-point. However, for packaging with a display area of approximately 150 square centimeters or less, a minimum font size of 5.5 points is permitted.
If it's difficult to include this information in the main label area, it may be placed elsewhere on the packaging with a clear indication, such as "Expiration date: Refer to the top of this side."
Notably, for cream, fermented milk, lactic acid beverage, and milk beverage packed in paper-sealed containers with paper lids, the expiration date can be displayed on a transparent synthetic resin covering the lid, but only if the size of the lid makes it impossible to display the date directly. In this case, care should be taken to ensure that the label on the inner lid remains visible and easy to read.
Q4: When selling an assortment of two or more foods with different best-before dates, how should the expiration date be displayed on the exterior?
A4: When selling a package containing multiple food items with different best before dates, the labeling requirements depend on how the product is packaged.
If individual items are packaged upon customer request, the date does not need to be displayed on the outer packaging.
However, if the items are pre-packaged as a single product for retail, the outer packaging must display either the shortest best before date among the items or the best before dates for all included items to ensure clarity for consumers.
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