At the local government level, health authorities exist at 47 prefectures and 31 cities and about 850 health centres. Each health authority has assigned food sanitation inspectors who inspect establishments which manufacture, process, sell or serve food. Local governments are also responsible for ordinances under the Food Sanitation Law and for the establishment of standards for business facilities, food handling and licensing. Administrative guidance is given by the central government for the observance of guidelines for the handling, manufacture, storage and transport of various foods, including those from vending machines and box lunches, and for the observance of provisional standards for PCB residues in fish and shellfish, milk and milk products, meat, eggs and packaging materials. Several measures are taken to promote satisfactory standards of food safety.
Prefectural governments provide food sanitation training courses for food handlers.
In addition, a food sanitation week is observed annually. Adequate management of abattoir facilities and of the slaughter of animals is controlled by the Slaughter-House Law. A Shellfish Agreement exists between the United States Public Health Service and the Japanese Government on the acceptability of such foods. National food contamination monitoring programmes are routinely performed. Large food processing plants maintain their own laboratories to ensure the safety and quality of their products.