April 26, 2023

A civil group called the “Food Labeling Network” consisting of consumers, consumer co-operatives, and consumer organizations, on April 6 held a rally in the Diet building, calling for revising the current food labelling system to one guaranteeing access to safe food.

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives Tamura Takaaki took part in the rally.

In the rally, Hara Eiji of the Food Labeling Network criticized the existing system for being problematic in regard to the country of origin labelling for ingredients in processed foods.

At present, the use of term “import” for ingredients from three or more foreign countries is allowed instead of listing the names of the countries. In addition, in the case of a processed food containing wheat which is imported but milled in Japan, this product can use the term “produced in Japan” for wheat on its label. This may mislead consumers into thinking that the wheat is domestically produced.

Hara pointed out that in a survey conducted by the Consumer Affairs Agency, many respondents said that they want to buy domestically produced food products. He said that a proper country of origin labelling system will enable consumers to choose domestic products, which lead to an increase in Japan’s food self-sufficiency rate.

Hara also pointed out that the present system places a tight restriction on the use of the term “non-genetically modified organism (GMO)” or “GMO-free”, and said that this rule makes it difficult for consumers to obtain clear information about GMOs when buying foods.