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On August 20, 2021, Mr. Taro Kono, Minister for Vaccine New Coronavirus, mentioned “Clarification of plant-based food labeling” at a press conference.
Press conference held by Mr. Taro Kono
https://nettv.gov-online.go.jp/prg/prg23130.html?nt=1
At the beginning of the press conference, Mr. Kono mentioned the market forecast released by Barclays Bank of the United Kingdom and expressed his expectations for the future growth of the plant-based market.
https://www.livekindly.co/vegan-140-billion-2029/
He said, “The fact that we haven’t discussed the food labeling has been a shackle for corporate business development.” This time, the Japanese government, including the Consumer Affairs Agency, said, “We announced that we have created a Q & A regarding food labeling rules of plant-based foods.” This is the first time that the Japanese government has explicitly mentioned the labeling rules for plant-based foods.
Specifically, he said, “It won’t be a problem if the expression is not misleading. To be more specific, if the words such as “soy meat” and “not meat” are written together, there is no problem.”
In addition, when using “100% plant-based”, it is necessary to confirm “whether it is derived from plants including food additives.”
He primarily mentioned “alternative meat” at the press conference, but the basic idea is the same for dairy, egg, and seafood substitutes. The detailed information will be published on the Consumer Affairs Agency website in the near future.
Regarding cultured meat, hygienic risks and labeling rules have not been clarified. He claimed that he would like to discuss it down the road as well.
See Also
Soy Meat, Plant-Based “Meat” That is Booming in Japan
HOBOTAMA, Plant-Based Egg-Alternative from Kewpie Japan
