Japan Urges Food Manufacturers to Provide Proof of Product Food Safety Credentials
Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW) has asked local food manufacturers to provide evidence of food safety credentials for their products in order to use new licensing exemptions for select food categories.
The MHLW recently classified 19 new types of processed food products as exempt from having to apply and obtain a license from the governor, specifically a sealed packaged food manufacturing license. The license is applicable to businesses that produce foods that do not need to be frozen or refrigerated, but are still sold in a sealed packaged format. Such packaging carries a potential risk of developing microbial contamination such as Clostridium botulinum.