1. Regulatory trends of
Nutrition labelling and trans fatty acid labelling
October, 2010
Consumer Affairs Agency
Food Labelling Division
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2. Global regulatory trends on Nutrition labelling and trans fatty acid labelling
Denmark Hong Kong South Korea Canada
 As of June,  As of July 2010, nutrition  As of 2006, nutrition labelling is mandatory.  As of December 2005,
2003, trans labelling including trans  As of December 2007, trans fatty acid nutrition labelling including
fatty acids in fatty acids is mandatory. labelling is mandatory. trans fatty acids is mandatory.
oils and fats
must not
exceed 2%
of oil or fat.
Switzerland
 As of April United States of America
2008, trans  As of 1994, nutrition labelling is mandatory.
fatty acids in  As of January 2006, trans fatty acid
oils and fats labelling is mandatory.
must not 【Note】
exceed 2% New York City (2007) as a first city and California
of oil or fat. State (2010) as a first state prohibited food service
establishments using oils, shortening and margarine
containing 0.5 grams or more of artificial trans fatty
acids per serving.
Paraguay
Taiwan  As of August 2006, nutrition labelling
Austria  As of 2002, including trans fatty acids is mandatory.
 As of September nutrition labelling
2009, trans fatty is mandatory.
acids in oils and Chile
 As of January
fats must not  As of November 2006,
2008, trans fatty Brazil
exceed 2% of oil nutrition labelling including
or fat. acid labelling is  As of 2001,
trans fatty acids is mandatory.
mandatory. nutrition
labelling is
mandatory.
Argentina  As of August
Countries and regions mandating trans fatty acid labelling  As of August 2006, Uruguay 2006, trans
Nutrition labelling other than trans fatty acids (e.g., saturated fatty acids) is also mandatory. nutrition labelling  As of August fatty acid
including trans fatty 2006, nutrition labelling is
Countries mandating nutrition labelling acids is mandatory. labelling mandatory.
Israel, India, Australia, Cuba, China, New Zealand, Malaysia including trans
Trans fatty acid labelling is voluntary (may have standards for Nutrition and Health Claims). fatty acids is
mandatory.
Japan：Nutrition labelling is voluntary, and standards for trans fatty acid labelling are not established.
【Note】 Countries regulating content of trans fatty acids in oils and fats
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3. Fatty acids and Health
Important roles of fatty acids
Saturated fatty acids
 High saturated fatty acid intake increases LDL cholesterol level,
the major risk factor coronary heart disease.
 Structural component of cell membranes.  Individual saturated fatty acids [lauric acids (12:0), myristic acids
(14:0), palmitic acids (16:0) or stearic acids (18:0)] have different
 Source of energy (provides more than twice amount effects on lipoprotein cholesterol levels.
of energy compared with carbohydrates and proteins).
 Supports absorption of fat soluble vitamins (vitamins
A・D・E・K) and carotenoids. Trans fatty acids
 Cholesterol constitutes cell membranes and serves as  Trans fatty acids not only increase LDL cholesterol level, but also
precursors for hormones and vitamin D. lower HDL cholesterol level.
 N-6 fatty acids and n-3 fatty acids, fatty acids not  Trans fatty acids increase risk of coronary heart disease.
synthesized in the body (essential fatty acids), must be
 In 2003, World Health Organization (WHO) recommended very low
obtained from diets.
intake of artificial trans fatty acids (less than 1% of daily energy
intake). In 2008, Joint FAO/WHO expert consultation on Fats and
Fatty acids in Human Nutrition, however, reported that possible
need of revising the current recommendation in order to protect
substantial subgroups from having dangerously high intakes.
Dietary reference intakes for Japanese (2010) have
established adequate intake and dietary goals for Cholesterol
fatty acids by age group and sex.
 Elevated LDL cholesterol level is a major risk factor for
Reference: Ministry of Health and Welfare: coronary heart disease, and cholesterol intake may raise total and
http://www.mhlw.go.jp/shingi/2009/05/s0529-4.html
LDL cholesterol levels. However, association between cholesterol
intake and cardiovascular diseases is inconsistently observed.
Further studies are warranted to make conclusion on the effects of
cholesterol on health.
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4. Trans fatty acid labelling in Japan
○ Trans fatty acids increase risk of coronary heart disease. Several countries and regions in North America, South America, and Asia
have mandated trans fatty acid labelling as one of the nutrients in the nutrition labelling regulations.
○ Estimated mean trans fatty acid intake among Japanese is 0.6% of total energy intake. However, intake of individuals with unbalanced
diets (e.g., high amount of sweets, which are high in fats), may exceed this level.
○ Consumer Affairs Agency will release “Guidelines on trans fatty acid labelling” (tentative) for food industry to promote voluntary
disclosure of information on trans fatty acid content. Considering to develop labelling systems of trans fatty acids, we will continue
working on this issue.
Trans fatty acids Current and future work regarding
trans fatty acid labelling
Trans fatty acids are type of fatty acids found in processed fats and oils, such as margarine and (As of 2010, March 9)
shortening, as well as food products made with these fats. Also, trans fatty acids are found in meat and
milk of cows and other ruminant animals.
(1) Provide helpful information to
【Example of trans fatty acids：Elaidic acids】 Reference: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Consumers
① Educate consumers about nutrition,
Saturated fatty acids Cis oleic acids Trans elaidic acids
(No double bonds) especially on fatty acids including trans
Fatty acids fatty acids.
Cis isomers
Unsaturated fatty acids  Released fact sheet on trans fatty acids
(With double bonds) (2010, September 10)
Trans isomers
Example of nutrition labelling
【Estimated intake】 Reference: Food Safety Commission in the United States of America ② Promote industry efforts to reduce trans
fatty acids in food products and to disclose
● Japanese population
information of trans fatty acid content.
1. Estimated from consumption of food group data in the National Health and Nutrition Survey
→0.7g/day (0.3% of total energy intake)  Consider definitions, analytic methods, and
2. Estimated from Production data →1.3g/day (0.6% of total energy intake) acceptance criterion for trans fatty acid
labelling, and develop “Guidelines on trans
● US population: 5.8g/day (2.6% of total energy intake)
fatty acid labelling” for food industry by the
● EU population: men: 1.2-6.7g/day (0.5%-2.1% of total energy intake) summer, 2010.
women: 1.7-4.1g/day (0.8%-1.9% of total energy intake)  Request food industry to work on voluntary
【2003：Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases, Report of a Joint disclosure of information on trans fatty acid
WHO/FAO Expert Consultation】 content.
Recommended trans fatty acid intake to less than 1% of daily energy intake.
【2008：Joint FAO/WHO expert consultation on Fats and Fatty acids in Human
(2) Continue considering to develop
Nutrition】 labelling systems for trans fatty
Reported that possible need of revising the current recommendation in order to acids.
protect substantial subgroups from having dangerously high intakes.
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5. Overview: Guidelines for trans fat labelling
 Along with accumulation of scientific evidence, information of fats has been important indices in order to enable consumers to
make informed food choices. However, labelling rules for trans fatty acids had not existed as opposed to saturated fatty acids
and cholesterol, whose standards set out in the Health Promotion Act.
Therefore, Consumer Affairs Agency has published “Guidelines for trans fat labelling” and has described details for industry
when trans fatty acids are declared on nutrition labelling.
Definition Summary of Guidelines
【Presentation】
 In this guidelines, trans fatty acids are defined in accordance  Trans fatty acid information is expected to be presented on labelling of prepackaged
with the definition adopted in the Codex Alimentarius foods offered for sale, at the company’s website, and in advertising materials.
Committee, establishing international food standards.  When declaring trans fatty acids, basic requirements (i.e., energy, protein, total fat,
Codex definition: Trans fatty acids are all the geometrical and carbohydrate) as set out in the Nutrition Labelling Standards as well as
isomers of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids saturated fatty acids and cholesterol must be declared.
having non-conjugated, interrupted by at least one methylene
group, carbon-carbon double bonds in the trans configuration.  Name: Trans fatty acids should be listed as “Trans fatty acids” within the Nutrition
labelling table with other nutrients.
Note: Trans fatty acids may derive from artificial or natural  Unit： Trans fatty acids should be declared in grams per 100g/100ml or per serving,
sources; however, they can not be accurately differentiated in per package, or per reference amount of the food
analysis. Thus, both of artificial and natural trans fatty acids  Tolerance: Acceptable criterion is plus 20% of the declared value.
are included in the definition.
Note: As a general rule, declaring 0g is only allowed for a food product containing no
trans fatty acids; however, when the food contains less than 0.3g/100g (100ml for soft
Major Foods containing trans fatty acids drinks), the value can be rounded to 0g.
【Industrially-produced trans fatty acids】 【Nutrient content claim】
Margarine, fat spread, and shortening, made from partially-  Free Claim (e.g., free, zero, no, without)
hydrogenated liquid vegetable oils, as well as bakery, 1. The food contains less than 0.2g of trans fatty acids per 100g (100ml for soft drinks)
sweets such as cakes and donuts, and frying foods, made and
with partially-hydrogenated fats contain trans fatty acids. 2. The food contains less than 1.5g of saturated fatty acids (0.75g per 100ml for soft
Small amounts are found in vegetable oils, heated or cooked drinks) or the food provides less than 10% of energy from saturated fatty acids.
at high temperature.  Reduction Claim (e.g., reduced, low, less)
【Naturally-derived trans fatty acids】 Declare the name of the reference food as well as the amount or percentage of the
Milk, meat, and dairy products contain small amounts of trans reduction
fatty acids as ruminant animals (cows and sheep) produce 【Methods of analysis】
trans fatty acids by biohydrogenation of unsaturated fatty acids  Trans fatty acids should be analyzed using AOCS Ce1h-05 or AOAC 996.06, the
in the rumen. major internationally recommended methods of analysis.
Examples  Firms may choose other method equivalent to AOCS and AOAC methods.

6. Nutrition Labelling Systems in Japan: situations and issues
Nutrition labelling is voluntary in Japan. However, if nutrient declaration, nutrient content claim such as “X free”, “X%
reduced,” and/or nutrient function claim is made on the label of foods offered for sale, nutrition information shall be
provided in accordance with Nutrition Labelling Standards under the Health Promotion Act.
① Nutrient Declaration (Nutrition Labelling Standards Clause 2-4)  Energy
 Protein
＜Required nutrition information when any nutrient is declared＞  Total fat
1. Energy value and amounts of core nutrients (Basic requirements)  Carbohydrate
expressed in kcal per 100g, 100ml, serving, package, or other standard size (or Available carbohydrate and Dietary fiber)
 Sodium
＜Voluntary nutrition information＞
2. For the following nutrients, Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) have been established in the Nutrition Labelling Standards.
＜Scope＞  13 vitamins and 12 minerals  Vitamins: Niacin, Pantothenic acid, Biotin, Vitamin A, Vitamin B1,
• Prepackaged foods  Sugars (Monosaccharides and Disaccharides) Vitamin B2, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin D,
• Attached documents  Saturated fats Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Folic acid
or tags  Cholesterol  Minerals: Zinc, Potassium, Calcium, Chromium, Selenium, Iron,
Copper, Sodium, Magnesium, Manganese, Iodine, Phosphorus
3. Nutrients whose DRIs not established in the Nutrition Labelling Standards may also be declared as long as
they are based on scientific evidence.
Nutrition information  Collagen
Per container （75g）  Galactooligosaccharides
② Nutrient Content Claims (Nutrition Labelling Standards Clause 5-10)  Polyphenol
Energy 390kcal
Protein 5.3g When a nutrient content claim is made, required nutrition information shall be provided in accordance with the
Total fat 19.1g provisions set out in the Nutrition Labelling Standards.
Carbohydrate 49.1g  Content Claims (e.g., High, contains, Zero)
Sodium 311mg  Comparative Claims (e.g., X times, X% recued)
③ Nutrient Function Claims (Nutrition Labelling Standards Clause2 )
Nutrient function claims for 17 vitamins and minerals are permitted. However, contents shall not exceed the upper and
lower tolerance level which have been established based on DRIs.
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7. Labelling of origin of ingredient System
History of regulation Packaged or bottled
Discussion points
green tea beverage ・ Frequent change of place of origin
/Fried peanuts
・ Limited space available labelling
・Unknown place of origin in
pre-processed imported food
20 categories 20 categories
(See attached)
individual Consumer Basic Plan
(Mar 2010: Cabinet Decision)
Dried or salted wakame・
Dried or salted mackerel The Government will
i l ddi
continuously ensure adding of f
Frozen vegetables
Grilled eel ・ Pickles
types of food products
Shavings of dried skipjack applicable for mandatory
8 products 20 categories＋4
labelling of origin of ingredient.
2001-2003 2006 2009～
Labelling of origin of ingredient is mandatory for food products containing
ingredients whose place of origin may significantly influence quality of the products. 1

8. Annex
1. Dried mushrooms, vegetables and fruits (excluding those flaked or powdered)
2. Salted
2 S lt d mushrooms, vegetables and f it
h t bl d fruits
3. Boiled or steamed mushrooms, vegetables, pulses and bean jams (excluding those canned, bottled or retort pouched)
4. Mixed vegetables, mixed fruits, other mixtures of vegetables, fruits and mushrooms
(
(excluding those mixed without cut)
g )
5. Green tea and packaged or bottled green tea beverage
6. Rice cake
7. Roasted shelled peanuts, roasted peanuts, fried peanuts and roasted beans
8. Alimentary k j products
8 Ali t konjac d t
9. Seasoned meat (excluding those processed by heating, or those frozen after processed)
10. Boiled or steamed poultry meat and eggs (excluding those canned, bottled or retort pouched)
11. Slightly roasted meat
g y
12. Prepared meat with deep-fry batter (excluding those processed by heating, or those frozen after heated)
13. Ground meats and other mixed meats (including meats or ground meats with their form shaped)
14. Unsalted and dried fish and shellfishes, salted and dried fish and shellfishes, boiled and dried fish and
shellfish, tangle,
shellfish tangle dried laver roasted laver and other dried seaweeds
laver,
(excluding those chopped, minced or powdered)
15. Salted fish , shellfishes and seaweeds
16. Seasoned fish, shellfishes and seaweeds
,
(excluding those processed by heating, those frozen after heated and those canned, bottled or retort pouched)
17. Boiled or steamed fish, shellfishes and seaweeds (excluding those canned, bottled or retort pouched)
18. Slightly roasted fish and shellfishes
19.
19 Prepared fish and shellfishes with deep fry batter ( l di those processed b h ti or th f
deep-fry (excluding th d by heating, those frozen after h t d)
ft heated)
20. Mixtures of fresh foods other than those described in 4 and 13 (excluding those mixed without cut)
2