Administration of Food Safety '06

Note: Quoted from the text, " Administration of Food Safety", for The Nineteenth Seminar for Visiting Food Hygiene Experts (2006) prepared by Policy Planning and Communication pision, Standards and Evaluation pision, and Inspection and Safety pision, Department of Food Safety, Pharmaceutical and Food Safety Bureau, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

Introduction
The purpose of the administrative work concerning food safety is to protect the health of the public through the strengthening measures for the assurance of food safety.
Japan carries out food safety work under the Food Safety Basic Law (enacted in May 2003) and related laws, including the Food Sanitation Law, the Abattoir Law, and the Poultry Slaughtering Business Control and Poultry Inspection Law. The related laws also include the Law of Temporary Measures for Enhancing the Control Method of the Food Production Process and the Health Promotion Law. The work covers a wide range of responsibilities from regulating the manufacture, import, and sale of food, food additives, and food apparatus and containers/packages to providing necessary information to consumers and businesses.
This document outlines the food sanitation work. For details, please consult the attached documents and tests prepared by each pision responsible for this study program.
The Food Sanitation Law in Japan

Part I Administration of Food Safety (PDF:2.75MB)

Contents

Introduction

1. Structure and responsibilities of the Department of Food Safety

2. Outline of administration of food safety

3. Relevant statutes
(1) Food Safety Basic Law
　<Food Safety Commission>
(2) Food Sanitation Law
(3) Confectionery Hygienists Law
(4) Abattoir Law
(5) Special Measures Law Concerning Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
(6) Poultry Slaughtering Business Control and Poultry Inspection Law
(7) Rendering Plants Control Law
(8) Law of Temporary Measures for Enhancing the Control Method of the Food Production Process
(9) Health Promotion Law

4. Specifications and standards for food, food additives, apparatus, containers/packages, etc.
(1) Specifications and standards for food
(2) Specifications and standards for food additives
(3) Specifications and standards for apparatus, containers/packages, etc.
(4) Harmful chemicals in food with provisionary regulatory limits and other substances

5. Safety assurance of livestock and poultry meat

6. Safety Measures for BSE
(1) What is Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy?
(2) Measures taken for imported food
(3) Measures taken in Japan
(4) Special Measures Law Concerning Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy

7. Action taken against food poisoning
　<A typical case of food poisoning associated with imported foods>

8. Comprehensive sanitation-controlled manufacturing process
　(Sanitary control over food based on HACCP)
　<For reference: the HACCP system>

9. Safety assurance of exported foods
(1) Meat intended for the United States
(2) Seafood intended for the United States
(3) Seafood intended for the EU countries
(4) Seafood intended for China
(5) Foods intended for Malaysia

10. Safety assurance of imported foods
(1) Imported food monitoring and guidance plan
(2) Import procedure

11. Introduction of standards for business management (Good Laboratory Practice) into food-examination laboratories

12. Foods produced by recombinant DNA technology
(1) Safety assessment
(2) Monitoring tests at import

13. Food with health claims and nutrition labeling
(1) Food with health claims
(2) Nutrition labeling

14. Global cooperation and information disclosure
(1) Global cooperation
(2) Information disclosure　

Annexes