Japan Focus: Food trade guidelines, potential UK entry for Fukushima 'nuclear' foods, alcohol sector updates and more feature in our round-up

Anti-monopoly measures: Japan publishes ‘fair transaction’ guidelines to improve food and retail trade​

The Japanese government has published a new set of ‘fair transaction’ guidelines for the food manufacturing and retail sectors as it seeks to promote proper trading practices and prevent monopolies in the supply chain.

Dubbed the ‘Guidelines for Promoting Fair Trade between Food Manufacturers and Retailers’, the guidelines were published by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) with the incorporation of principles from the country’s existing Antimonopoly Act and Subcontract Act.

“The aim is to promote proper and fair transactions between the food manufacturing industry and the retail industry, [and as such] we have strived to make these guidelines as clear and easy to understand as possible,”​ MAFF stated via a formal statement.

Clear of nuclear? Japanese government urges support for UK’s proposed lift of Fukushima import restrictions​

Japan is hopeful that the United Kingdom will lift bans on food imports from Fukushima following a positive risk assessment report, citing the benefits of reduced trade barriers and lower costs for the food sector.

The UK recently published a risk assessment report in December 2021, on the possible radiological risk to public health from consuming imported Japanese food if radiocaesium levels were removed, indicating that it was looking at lifting bans on foods imported from areas in Japan affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster back in 2011.

At present, the UK is still employing import controls from before Brexit to control Japanese imports, namely EU Regulation 2016/6 which impose special conditions on these including a maximum level of 100 Bq/kg radiocaesium activity concentration in food.

Fight back: How APAC’s alcohol sector is brewing success after COVID-19 hangover – Exclusive in-depth analysis​

The alcohol sector in the Asia Pacific region was amongst the most heavily-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic due to the closure of many hospitality outlets, but insiders say the outlook is positive thanks to retail modernisation, product innovation and sustainability drives.

This is why in this edition of the FNA Deep Dive, we take a closer look at the state of the alcohol industry in 2022, the major trends driving its growth, and the challenges that still lie ahead especially for troubled markets such as Japan.

Show us the science: Japanese firms told to prove product safety to gain new packaged food licensing exemptions​

The Ministry of Health in Japan has urged local food manufacturers to provide scientific evidence and proof of their products’ food safety credentials if they want to take advantage of new licensing exemptions for 19 food categories.

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) recently announced that 19 new types of processed food products undergone successful reviews by the ministry and been designated exempt from the need to apply for and obtain a specific sealed packaged food manufacturing license from the prefectural governor.

This sealed packaged food manufacturing license applies to businesses producing foods that are sold in a sealed packaged format but do not need to be frozen or refrigerated, due to a potential risk of developing microbial contamination e.g. by Clostridium botulinum​ or the botulinum toxin.

‘Suboptimal protocols’: Clinical trials used for Japan’s Foods with Function Claims under fire​

The quality of clinical trials behind products under Japan’s Foods with Function Claims (FFCs) is undermined by a lack of proper protocols, such as the absence of trial registration and transparent study designs, says a new study.

The study, published in Nutrients, ​was conducted by researchers from three Japanese universities, including Tokyo University of Agriculture, University of Toyama, and Tokyo Ariake Medical and Health Sciences University. 

A total of 136 clinical trials were sieved out from the website of Japan Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) – the body overseeing FFCs.

These trials were published from July 2018 to June 2021.