## (2) Animal epidemic prevention and phytosanitary measures

The government implements border control measures against foot-and-mouth and other animal infectious diseases and plant pests. Given an increase in the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan in recent years, the government has enhanced inspections.

To prevent the epidemic of oriental fruit flies and other plant pests confirmed in Japan and exterminate them, the government checks epidemic areas, restricts host plant movements and takes preventive measures.

To ensure the quality and volume of fruit and vegetable exports, the government conducts export inspections at production and consolidation sites at the request of exporters. The government also implements the development of animal and plant quarantine methods and systems for easy use by business operators and other measures to pave the way for farm and livestock products to be sold as souvenirs.

## Consolidation site inspections to promote the export of fruits and vegetables

Source: MAFF

Export inspections are conducted at production and consolidation sites for farm products for exports at the request of exporters.

• Lettuce for Taiwan produced in Kawakami Village, Nagano Prefecture

• Unshu-Mikan orange (citrus unshiu) for Taiwan at the Osaka Central Wholesale Market, etc.

Source: MAFF

## (3) Efforts to ensure consumers' confidence

O Given intentional food poisoning and tampering cases in recent years, the government hosted meetings of food industry group, consumer group and press representatives and experts and revised the five basic principles for food business operators to add the concept of concrete estimation of product recalls, appropriate initial response, information provision and others in January 2016.

The government established a comprehensive, unified system for food labelling under the Food Labelling Act, which took effect in April 2015. Major changes adopted in the new system include (1) the mandatory nutrition labelling for processed food products, (2) the improvement of rules for allergen labelling and (3) the establishment of the system of Foods with Function Claims.

Source: Prepared by MAFF based on data from CAA

## Function claims of Unshu-Mikan orange (citrus unshiu)

The Mikkabi agricultural cooperative in Shizuoka has implemented an initiative to create new demand for Unshu-Mikan oranges by function claims. The cooperative analyzed the content of $ \beta $ -cryptoxanthin as a functional substance of the Unshu-Mikan orange in preparation for reporting and submitted the function claim labelling to the Consumer Affairs Agency in August 2015. After the Unshu-Mikan orange was registered as the first fresh food product with function claims, the cooperative held briefings for producers, shipping cooperatives and markets before launching “Mikkabi Mikan” on

## November 5, 2015

The Mikkabi agricultural cooperative expects the research on $ \beta $ -cryptoxanthin to make further progress for expansion of Unshu-Mikan orange consumption throughout Japan. The cooperative plans to promote the product taking advantage of qualitative improvements and function claims.

A cardboard box with a "foods with function claims" label