The Imported Foods Monitoring and Guidance Plan is a plan for the implementation of monitoring and guidance conducted by the national government with respect to imported foods (Article 23, paragraph 1 of the Act).
Contact:
Office of Import Food Safety,
Inspection and Safety Division,
Department of Food Safety,
Pharmaceutical and Food Safety Bureau,
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
Inspection Results of Imported Foods Monitoring and Guidance Plan for FY 2012
Interim Report
December 2012
Department of Food Safety
Pharmaceutical and Food Safety Bureau
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
Inspection Results of Imported Foods Monitoring and Guidance Plan for FY 2012 (Interim Report)
1. Introduction
In order to monitor and provide instructions to ensure the safety of foods, etc., imported into Japan (hereafter referred to as “imported foods, etc.”), the government established the Imported Foods Monitoring and Guidance Plan in 2012 (hereinafter, “the plan”). The plan is based on the guidelines for monitoring and providing instructions in food sanitation (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Notification No. 301, 2003) as per the regulations of Article 23, Paragraph 1 of the Food Sanitation Act (Act No. 233, 1947; hereinafter, “the Act”); public comments were collected and risk communication was conducted. The plan was published in the Official Gazette as an official report according to the regulations of Paragraph 3 of the same article, and the monitoring and instruction for imported foods, etc., is being conducted based upon the plan.
This document presents an outline of the implementation status of the monitoring and instruction for imported foods, etc., conducted in accordance with the plan, for the period April to September 2012.
Reference: Website on “Safety of Imported Food”
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/topics/yunyu/tp0130-1.html
2. Overview of the Imported Foods Monitoring and Guidance Plan for FY 2012
(1) What is the Imported Foods Monitoring and Guidance Plan?
[Objective] To ensure greater safety of imported foods by promoting the national government to conduct inspections at the time of importation and to conduct monitoring of and guidance for importers in an intensive, effective and efficient manner.
(2) Principles for Monitoring and Guidance on Imported Foods
Under the Article 4 of the Food Safety Basic Act (Act No.48 of 2003) (that is, food safety shall be ensured by taking appropriate measures at each stage of the domestic and overseas food supply process), the Plan is prepared in order that three stages of sanitation measures are taken, namely, in the exporting country, at the time of importation, and at the time of domestic distribution.
(3) Priority Items for Monitoring and Guidance
- Confirmation of whether violations of the Act exist at the time of import declaration
- Monitoring *1 (Plan for 2012: 89,900 items across 168 food groups)
- Inspection orders *2 (as of September 30, 2012: 17 items from all exporting countries and 76 items from 23 countries and 1 region)
- Regulations for comprehensive import bans *3
- Emergency responses based on overseas information, etc.
(4) Promotion of Sanitation Measures in Exporting Countries
- Requests to the governments of exporting countries for the establishment of sanitation control measures
- Strengthening of control for agricultural chemicals, etc. and monitoring systems, and the promotion of pre-export inspections, through on-site inspections and bilateral talks
(5) Guidance for Importers on Voluntary Sanitation Control
- Pre-import guidance (so-called “import consulting”)
- Guidance for voluntary inspections at initial importation and on a regular basis
- Instructions on the preparing and keeping of records
- Dissemination of knowledge on food sanitation to importers, etc.
*1: Systematic inspections based on statistical concepts that take into account the volume of imports and violation rates, etc., for each food type.
*2: With regard to items having a high probability of being in violation of the Act, inspections are ordered to the importer by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare at each importation. Items are not permitted to import or distribute unless the results of the inspection comply with the regulations.
*3: Regulations by which the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare can prevent the sale or import of specified foods, without the need for inspections, in cases where it is deemed necessary from the perspective of preventing harm to public health.
3. Inspection Results of Imported Foods Monitoring and Guidance Plan for FY 2012 (Interim Report: Tentative)
Looking at the declarations, inspections and violations made from April through September of 2012 (Table 1), there were 1,107,698 [1,039,214] declarations, and the weight of declared items was 12,276,000 [13,175,000] tons.
Inspections were carried out on 117,456 items (there were inspection orders on 44,962 items, monitoring on 30,895 items, and voluntary inspections on 48,702 items) [119,075 items (inspection orders on 52,811 items, monitoring on 28,367 items, and voluntary inspections on 37,897 items)]. Of these, 492 cases [619 cases] were found to be in violation of the Act, and steps were taken for their re-shipment, disposal, etc.
Records of violations categorized by Article (Table 2) show that violations of Article 11 of the Act, which is related to microbiological criteria for food, standards on residual agricultural chemicals and standards for the use of additives, were most common in 340 instances, followed by violations of Article 6, which is related to contamination with hazardous or toxic substances such as aflatoxin, in 103 instances, violations of Article 10, which is related to restrictions on the sale of additives, in 41 instances, violations of Article 18, which is related to standards for apparatus or containers and packaging, in 25 instances, violations of Article 18 (applied mutatis mutandis to Article 62) of the Act, which is related to standards for toys, in 7 instances, and violations of Article 9, which is related to non-attachment of sanitary certificates of meat or meat products, in 1 instances.
Records of monitoring in FY 2012 (Table 3) show that, out of a total of 89,959 planned inspections, 53,904 were actually conducted (That’s an implementation rate of about 60%). Of these, a total of 94 constituted violations of the Food Sanitation Act, resulting in recalls and enhanced monitoring to identify possible future violations (Table 4). Additionally, as a result of enhanced monitoring, the monitoring system has been strengthened for imported foods, etc. which are considered to have a high probability of violating the Food Sanitation Act, by making them subject to inspection orders and requiring importers to undergo inspections at the time of import (Table 5).
As of September 30, 2012, inspection orders had been applied to 17 items from all exporting countries and 76 items from 23 countries and 1 region. The record of inspection orders (Table 6) shows that a total of 66,600 inspection orders were conducted and, of these, steps were taken for their re-shipment or disposal, etc. based on 120 violations of the Act.
Based on information from overseas on such topics as recalls of law-violating food products, monitoring inspections and voluntary inspections were carried out and the system for monitoring items for importation was enhanced in FY 2012 for issues such as fatal incidents involving those who took UK-made sorbitol in Italy, the detection of enterohemorrhagic E. coli O157 from beef in Australia, and the occurrence of norovirus food poisoning after consuming South Korean bivalves in USA and Taiwan (Table 7).
Figures in brackets are for the same period in the previous year.
| No. of Notifications (cases) *1 |
Amount of Import (1,000 tons) *1 |
No. of Inspections *2 (cases) | Percentage *3 (%) |
No. of Violations (cases) |
Percentage *3 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,107,698 | 12,276 | 117,456 (44,962) *4 |
10.6 | 492 | 0.04 |
| (previous FY) 1,039,214 |
13,175 | 119,075 | 11.5 | 619 | 0.06 |
*1 Cargoes of planned Import System (excluding time of first importation.) are not included.
*2 Values obtained after excluding overlapping cases from the total values of inspections by governments, registered laboratories, and public organizations of the exporting country.
*3 Proportion of the number of inspections to the number of notifications
*4 Figures relate to inspection orders
| Violated Article | No. of Violations (cases) | Proportion (%) |
Major Violations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Article 6 (Distribution of prohibited foods and additives) | 103 | 19.9 | Aflatoxin contamination in corn, peanuts, pearl-barley, pistachio nuts, almonds, etc.; contamination with puffer fish without sufficient viscera removal; detection of diarrhetic shellfish toxin; detection of cyanide; detection of Listeria monocytogenes in unheated meat products; decay, deterioration and fungus formation due to accidents during the transport of rice, wheat, soybeans, etc.; and detection of Kudoa septempunctata spores from flounder |
| Article 9 (Limitation on distribution, etc. of diseased meat, etc. ) | 1 | 0.2 | Non-attachment of hygiene certificate |
| Article 10 (Limitation on distribution, etc. of additives, etc. ) | 41 | 7.9 | Use of undesignated additives (TBHQ, azorubin, sodium metasilicate, quinoline yellow, patent blue V, methyl parahydroxybenzoate, cyclamic acid, choline bitartrate, boric acid, β-apo-8'-carotenal, sunflower lecithin) |
| Article 11 (Standards and specifications for foods and additives) | 340 | 65.8 | Violation of specifications for vegetables and frozen vegetables (violation of standards for residual pesticides); violation of specifications for seafood and processed products thereof (violation of standards for residual veterinary drug, violation of standards for residual pesticide); violation of specifications for other processed products (positive reaction on coliform bacilli, etc. ); violation of standards for usage of additives (sorbic acid, sodium benzoate, sulfur dioxide, etc. ); violation of specifications for additives |
| Article 18 (Standards and specifications for instruments and containers/packages) |
25 | 4.8 | Violation of specifications/standards for instruments and containers/packages; violation of specification for raw materials. |
| Article 62 (Mutatis mutandis as applied to toys, etc. ) | 7 | 1.4 | Violation of specifications for toys or their raw materials. |
| Total | 517 (total) *1 492 (number of notified violations) *2 |
||
*1 Total number of item-by-item inspections
*2 Number of notifications for which inspection was carried out
| Food Group | Category of Inspected Items*1 | No. of Programs Planned in FY*2 | No. of Programs Implemented | No. of Violations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Livestock foods Beef, pork, chicken, horse meat, poultry meat, and other meats |
Antibacterial substances, etc. | 2,178 | 1,096 | 0 |
| Residual agricultural chemicals | 1,879 | 1,019 | 0 | |
| Standards for constituents | 790 | 416 | 0 | |
| Exposure to radiation | 29 | 22 | 0 | |
| Removal of SRM | 3,000 | 2,818 | 0 | |
| Processed livestock foods Natural cheeses, meat products, ice cream, frozen products (meat products), and other products |
Antibacterial substances, etc. | 2,123 | 1,269 | 0 |
| Residual agricultural chemicals | 1,074 | 832 | 0 | |
| Additives | 1,366 | 995 | 0 | |
| Standards for constituents | 2,931 | 1,561 | 2 | |
| Seafood products Bivalves, fish, shellfish (shrimps, prawns, crabs) and other products |
Antibacterial substances, etc. | 2,692 | 1,628 | 7 |
| Residual agricultural chemicals | 2,663 | 1,591 | 2 | |
| Additives | 177 | 89 | 0 | |
| Standards for constituents | 780 | 804 | 1 | |
| Exposure to radiation | 29 | 13 | 0 | |
| Processed seafoods Processed fish products (fillet, dried or minced fish, etc. ), frozen food (seafood, fish), processed fish roe products, and other products |
Antibacterial substances, etc. | 3,817 | 2,577 | 4 |
| Residual agricultural chemicals | 3,192 | 2,483 | 0 | |
| Additives | 1,603 | 1,286 | 0 | |
| Standards for constituents | 4,658 | 3,526 | 17 | |
| Exposure to radiation | 5 | 5 | 0 | |
| Agricultural foods Vegetables, fruit, wheat, barley, corn, beans, peanuts, nuts, seeds, and other products |
Antibacterial substances, etc. | 1,510 | 1,289 | 0 |
| Residual agricultural chemicals | 12,546 | 7,434 | 32 | |
| Additives | 1,074 | 600 | 1 | |
| Standards for constituents | 1,570 | 998 | 1 | |
| Mycotoxins | 2,388 | 1,505 | 1 | |
| GMOs | 354 | 171 | 0 | |
| Exposure to radiation | 119 | 64 | 0 | |
| Processed agricultural foods Frozen products (processed vegetables), processed vegetable products, processed fruit products, spices, instant noodles, and other products |
Antibacterial substances, etc. | 299 | 268 | 0 |
| Residual agricultural chemicals | 9,557 | 5,560 | 10 | |
| Additives | 4,101 | 2,869 | 2 | |
| Standards for constituents | 2,413 | 1,502 | 6 | |
| Mycotoxins | 2,923 | 1,487 | 1 | |
| GMOs | 128 | 36 | 0 | |
| Exposure to radiation | 424 | 220 | 0 | |
| Other foods Health foods, soups, flavourings, seasonings, sweets, edible oils, fat, frozen products, and other products |
Residual agricultural chemicals | 715 | 545 | 2 |
| Additives | 3,523 | 1,899 | 2 | |
| Standards for constituents | 926 | 411 | 1 | |
| Mycotoxins | 895 | 541 | 0 | |
| Exposure to radiation | - | 2 | 0 | |
| Drinks and beverages Mineral water, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, and other products |
Residual agricultural chemicals | 358 | 279 | 0 |
| Additives | 1,015 | 668 | 1 | |
| Standards for constituents | 776 | 513 | 0 | |
| Mycotoxins | 118 | 71 | 0 | |
| Additives Equipment, containers and packages Toys |
Standards for constituents | 2,241 | 942 | 1 |
| Total (number) 5,000 was added to the No. of Programs Planned in FY as “foods subject to enhanced monitoring inspections. ” |
89,959 | 53,904 Rate of program implemented:60% |
94 | |
*1: Examples of tested substances
- - Antibacterial substances, etc.: antibiotics, synthetic antimicrobials, hormone drugs, etc.
- - Residual agricultural chemicals: organophosphorus, organochlorine, carbamates, pyrethroid, etc.
- - Additives: preservatives, coloring agents, sweetener, antioxidant, antimold agents, etc.
- - Standards for constituents, etc.: Items stipulated in the compositional standards (bacteria count, coliform bacteria, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, radioactive substances, etc.), pathogenic microorganisms (enterohemorrhagic E. coli O26, O103, O104, O111 and O157, Listeria monocytogenes, etc.), shellfish poisons (diarrhetic shellfish toxin, paralytic shellfish poison), etc.
- - Mycotoxin: aflatoxin, deoxynivalenol, patulin, etc.
- - Genetically modified organisms (GMO): genetically modified foods, etc. that have not been assessed for safety.
- - Exposure to radiation: whether the item is exposed to radiation
*2：The number of item-by-item programs planned of antibacterial substances, agricultural chemicals, etc.
| Country/Region | Subject Foods | Test Items |
|---|---|---|
| China | Broccoli | Acetochlor, haloxyfop |
| Sea urchin (for raw consumption) | Vibrio parahaemolyticus *3 | |
| Oolong tea | Triazophos | |
| Bullfrog | Enrofloxacin | |
| Green soybeans | Haloxyfop | |
| Wood ear mushroom | Chlorfenapyr | |
| Komatsuna ( Brassica rapa var. peruviridis) | Indoxacarb | |
| Japanese pepper fruit | Aflatoxin | |
| Shiitake mushrooms | Acetochlor | |
| Soft-shelled turtle | Enrofloxacin | |
| Carrot | Acephate | |
| Potato | Haloxyfop | |
| Bell pepper | Pyrimethanil | |
| Kidney beans | Cyromazine | |
| Immature peas | Chlorpyrifos | |
| Green tea | Triazophos | |
| Lychee | Paclobutrazol | |
| Wasabi (Japanese horseradish) | Pyrimethanil | |
| Thailand | Immature peas | Difenoconazole, Cypermethrin, Tetraconazole, Flusilazole |
| Feverweed ( Eryngium foetidum ) | Cypermethrin, Buprofezin | |
| Puk whan ( Sauropus spp. ) | EPN, Ametryn | |
| Red chili | Cypermethrin | |
| Cassod tree leaf ( Senna siamea ) | Buprofezin | |
| Alpinia galanga | Chlorpyrifos | |
| Wild Betal ( Piper sarmentosum ) | Haloxyfop | |
| Water mimosa | Triazophos | |
| South Korea | Arch shells (for raw consumption) | Vibrio parahaemolyticus *4 |
| Eel | Enrofloxacin | |
| Food | Dichlorvos | |
| Tairagikai ( Atrina pectinata ) (for raw consumption) | Vibrio parahaemolyticus *4 | |
| Taiwan | Bullfrog | Flumequine, Chloramphenicol |
| Garlic chive flower | Profenofos | |
| Farm-raised eel | Furazolidone | |
| Italy | Parsley | Difenoconazole |
| Spring onion | Chlorpyrifos | |
| Radish | Boscalid | |
| Philippines | Sea urchin (for raw consumption) | Vibrio parahaemolyticus *4 |
| Pineapple | Fenitrothion | |
| Boiled octopus | Vibrio parahaemolyticus *5 | |
| USA | Celery | Fenamidone |
| Soybeans | Thiamethoxam | |
| Blueberry | Malathion | |
| Vietnam | Tilapia | Enrofloxacin |
| Spinach | Indoxacarb | |
| Immature peas | Acephate | |
| India | Turmeric | Aflatoxin |
| Mango | Chlorpyrifos | |
| Australia | Pollens | Tetracycline antibiotic |
| Beef | Enterohemorrhagic E. coli | |
| Spain | Wild strawberry | Bupirimate |
| Unheated meat products | Listeria monocytogenes | |
| France | Chicory | Metalaxyl and Mefenoxam |
| Food *6 | Radioactive substance | |
| Cameroon | Cacao beans | Chlorpyrifos, Cypermethrin |
| Indonesia | Immature peas | Difenoconazole |
| Uganda | Sesame seeds | Bendiocarb |
| Ethiopia | Coffee beans | γ-BHC |
| Guatemala | Sesame seeds | Imidacloprid |
| Colombia | Pitahaya (Dragon fruit) | Tebuconazole |
| Germany | Horseradish | Difenoconazole |
| Turkey | Hazelnuts | Aflatoxin |
| Nigeria | Sesame seeds | Aflatoxin |
| Bolivia | Sesame seeds | Haloxyfop |
| Mexico | Coffee beans | 2,4-D |
*1 In 2012, enhanced monitoring inspections, which are to be implemented after a violation has been detected, were usually conducted on 30% of all import declarations. Items which had seen inspection orders rescinded as a result of import or inspection results were also handled in the same way. However, if no similar violations were detected within 60 enhanced monitoring inspections or within 1 year, the items were returned to the normal inspection system.
*2 Excludes items in Table 5.
*3 As a measure to enhance inspections during the summer period, all (100%) import declarations were inspected (Apr-Oct 2012).
*4 As a measure to enhance inspections during the summer period, all (100%) import declarations were inspected (June-Oct 2012).
*5 As a measure to enhance inspections during the summer period, 30% of import declarations were inspected (June-Oct 2012)
*6 Foods designated in Notice No. 0329 Article 1 of the Office of Imported Food Safety and Notice No. 0329 Article 1 of the Office of Port Health Administration, "Regarding guidance for monitoring of imported foods related to nuclear power plant accident in former Soviet Union" issued on March 29, 2012.
| Country/Region | Subject food | Test Item |
|---|---|---|
| China | Green soybeans | Difenoconazole |
| Chinese pepper ( Zanthoxylum bungeanum ) | Aflatoxin | |
| Food (limited to manufacturers) | Cyclamic acid | |
| Sea urchin for raw consumption (limited to manufacturers) | Vibrio parahaemolyticus | |
| Bivalves (limited to short-necked clam, Jackknife clam and clam) | Prometryn | |
| India | Chickpea | Glyphosate |
| Farmed shrimp and prawn | Ethoxyquin | |
| Vietnam | Food (limited to manufacturers) | Cyclamic acid |
| Farmed shrimp and prawn | Ethoxyquin | |
| Italy | Unheated meat product (limited to manufacturers) | Listeria monocytogenes |
| Ghana | Cacao beans | Imidacloprid |
| South Korea | Farmed flounder (limited to farmers) | Kudoa septempunctata |
| Spain | Unheated meat product (limited to manufacturers) | Listeria monocytogenes |
| Thailand | Holly basil ( Ocimum tenuiflorum ) | EPN |
| France | Natural cheese (limited to manufacturers) | Enterohemorrhagic E. coli O103 |
| USA | Blueberry | Methoxyfenozide |
| Country/Region | Main subject foods | Main test items | No. of tests |
No. of violations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All exporting countries (17 items) |
Peanut, Almond, Chili pepper, etc. | Aflatoxin | 5,289 | 35 |
| Salted salmon roe | Nitrite | 268 | 0 | |
| Beans containing cyanide, Cassava | Cyanide | 246 | 4 | |
| Puffer fish | Differentiations of fish species | 1 | 0 | |
| China (28 items) |
Chicken, Pork, Eel, Shrimp, Soft-shelled turtle, etc. | Furazolidone, Clenbuterol, Chlortetracycline, Malachite green, Sulfamethoxazole, etc. | 18,657 | 3 |
| Vegetables, Nuts, Fish, Shellfish, etc. (Carrot, Welsh Onion, Spinach, Peanut, Bivalves, etc. ) |
Aldicarb sulfoxide, Triadimenol, Prometryn, Dieldrin (including Aldrin), Endrin, etc. | 10,804 | 10 | |
| Bivalves | Paralytic shellfish poison, Diarrhetic shellfish toxin | 3,572 | 1 | |
| All processed foods | Cyclamic acid | 479 | 0 | |
| Chinese pepper ( Zanthoxylum bungeanum ), White pepper | Aflatoxin | 25 | 1 | |
| South Korea (11 items) |
Bivalves | Paralytic shellfish poison, Diarrhetic shellfish toxin | 256 | 0 |
| Eel | Oxolinic acid, Ofloxacin | 28 | 1 | |
| Green chili, Freshwater clam | Simeconazole, Endosulfan | 6 | 0 | |
| Thailand (9 items) |
Okura, Mango, Green asparagus, Alpinia galangal , Kaffir lime leaves, Banana, etc. | EPN, Chlorpyrifos, Profenofos, Propiconazole, Cypermethrin, etc. | 713 | 2 |
| India (6 items) |
Farmed shrimp and prawn | Furazolidone, Ethoxyquin | 683 | 15 |
| Cumin seeds, Chickpea, Red pepper, Black tea, etc. | Profenofos, Glyphosate, Triazophos, Hexaconazole, etc. | 67 | 3 | |
| Cassia seeds | Aflatoxin | 39 | 0 | |
| Taiwan (6 items) |
Farm-raised eel, carrot | Fenitrothion, Methamidophos, Acephate | 579 | 0 |
| Farm-raised eel | Furazolidone | 230 | 0 | |
| All processed foods | Cyclamic acid | 37 | 0 | |
| Others (19 countries, total 39 items) | 24,031 | 43 | ||
| Total | 66,600 | 120 | ||
| Month of enhancement |
Subject country |
Subject food and details | Background and status |
|---|---|---|---|
| April | UK | Additives manufactured by Mistral Laboratory Chemicals and UK-produced foods containing them | Mistral Laboratory Chemicals of UK was reported to be involved in the fatal incidents of those who took sorbitol in Italy. Guidance was given to hold the cargo and inform MHLW where an import notification was made for additives manufactured by this company or UK-produced foods containing them. |
| April | China | Gelatin and foods containing gelatin (may contain chromium) |
Medical capsules produced using industrial gelatin was recalled in China. Guidance was given to postpone the import of potentially contaminated products indicated by the Chinese government where an import notification was made for such products. |
| June | Australia | Beef (including viscera) (May be contaminated with Enterohemorrhagic E. coli O157) |
Enterohemorrhagic E. coli O157 was detected from beef in Australia. Regarding beef processed in the relevant facility, guidance was given to carry out voluntary inspections for those processed before a specified date and to enhance monitoring inspections for those processed after the specified date. |
| June | South Korea | Bivalves (May be contaminated with Norovirus) |
Norovirus food poisoning occurred after consuming South Korean bivalves in the USA and Taiwan, and an import ban and recall measures were taken in the USA. Guidance was given to postpone the import of bivalves from the relevant sea areas and to carry out voluntary inspections for bivalves from other sea areas. |
| July | Italy | Confectionaries (May contain foreign matter) |
Snack foods potentially containing foreign matter were recalled in Italy. Guidance was given to return shipments where an import notification was made for the recalled products. |
| July | South Korea | Galactooligosaccharide (May be contaminated with Salmonella Oranienburg ) |
Salmonella food poisoning occurred after consuming South Korean galactooligosaccharide in Russia. Guidance was given to postpone the import of the recalled products where an import notification was made for such products. |
| July | France | Soft and semi-soft type natural cheese (May be contaminated with Enterohemorrhagic E. coli O103) |
Goat milk cheese was contaminated with Enterohemorrhagic E. coli O103 in France. Guidance was given to apply inspection orders to the relevant manufacturers. |
| August | Germany | Passion fruit powder (May contain benzalkonium chloride) |
Passion fruit powder from which benzalkonium chloride had been detected was voluntarily recalled in Germany. Guidance was given to return shipments where an import notification was made for the recalled products. |
| September | Czech Republic | Alcoholic drinks (May contain methanol) |
In Czech Republic, the sale of drinks containing 20% or more alcohol is banned due to the occurrence of methanol intoxication. Guidance was given to voluntarily inspect every import of drinks containing 20% or more alcohol for the absence of methanol. |
| September | USA | Roasted peanuts, Peanut butter, Peanut paste, Almond butter, Cashew butter, Tahini (sesame seed paste) (May be contaminated with Salmonella ) |
Salmonella food poisoning occurred in USA. Guidance was given to return shipments where an import notification was made for the recalled products. |
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Nitrite | Additives (coloring agent) |
| Acetochlor | Agricultural chemical (anilide herbicide) |
| Acephate | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorus insecticide) |
| Azorubin | Undesignated additive |
| Aflatoxin | Fungal toxin (produced by the fungus Aspergillus , etc. ) |
| Ametryn | Agricultural chemical (triazine herbicide) |
| Aldicarb sulfoxide | Agricultural chemical (insecticide) |
| Sodium benzoate | Additives (preservative) |
| Genetic modification | Technology such as fragmentation of bacterial genes, followed by arrangement of the gene sequences or introducing the arranged genes into other organism's genes. |
| Imidacloprid | Agricultural chemical (chloronicotinyl insecticide) |
| Indoxacarb | Agricultural chemical (oxadiazon insecticide) |
| Ethoxyquin | Agricultural chemical・feed additives (growth regulator・antioxidant) |
| Benzalkonium chloride | Surfactant (used as invert soap, etc. ) |
| Endosulfan | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorous insecticide) |
| Endrin | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorous insecticide) |
| Enrofloxacin | Veterinary drug (new quinolone synthetic antibacterial agent) |
| Oxolinic acid | Veterinary drug (quinolone synthetic antibacterial agent) |
| Ofloxacin | Veterinary drug (new quinolone synthetic antibacterial agent) |
| Galactooligosaccharide | An oligosaccharide mainly constituted by galactose units |
| Quinoline yellow | Undesignated additive |
| Glyphosate | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorous herbicide) |
| Clenbuterol | Veterinary drug (breeding agent) |
| Chromium | A metal element |
| Chloramphenicol | Veterinary drug (Chloramphenicol antibiotic) |
| Chlortetracycline | Veterinary drug (Tetracycline antibiotic) |
| Chlorpyrifos | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorous insecticide） |
| Chlorfenapyr | Agricultural chemical (insecticide) |
| Planned Import System | A certain food or related item is planed to be imported repeatedly, an import plan can be submitted at the time of the first import. When the plan is found satisfactory, the submission of import notification is exempted for a certain period. |
| Diarrhetic shellfish toxin | Shellfish poison (mainly refers to toxins produced by a harmful plankton accumulated in clams) |
| Cyclamic acid | Undesignated additive |
| Salmonella spp. | Pathogenic microorganism (bacteria widely occurring in natural environments. They mainly contaminate chicken eggs and meat to cause stomachache, diarrhea and fever) |
| Cyanide | Harmful or poisonous compound (Cyanide-related compounds (e. g. , cyanogenic glycoside) found in vegetables such as some varieties of beans) |
| Dichlorvos | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorus insecticide) |
| Difenoconazole | Agricultural chemical (triazole fungicide) |
| Cypermethrin | Agricultural chemical (pyrethroid insecticide) |
| Simeconazole | Agricultural chemical (triazole fungicide) |
| Choline bitartrate | Undesignated additive |
| Cyromazine | Agricultural chemical (heterocyclic insecticide) |
| Sulfamethoxazole | Synthetic antimicrobial (sulfur agent) |
| Sorbitol | Additives (sweetener) |
| Sorbic acid | Additives (preservative) |
| Thiamethoxam | Agricultural chemical (neonicotinoid insecticide) |
| Vibrio parahaemolyticus | Pathogenic microorganism (A bacterium living in seawater (estuaries, coastal areas, etc. ) that commonly contaminates fish and shellfish, and causes abdominal pain, watery diarrhea, fever and vomiting) |
| Enterohemorrhagic E. coli | Pathogenic microorganism (A bacterium that normally lives in the intestines of animals. It contaminates foods and drinking water by way of feces and urine, and causes acute abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea together with large amounts of fresh blood after early cold-like symptoms) |
| Dieldrin (including Aldrin) | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorous insecticide) |
| Deoxynivalenol | Mycotoxin (produced by a fungus of Fusarium genus) |
| Tetraconazole | Agricultural chemical (triazole fungicide) |
| Tetracycline antibiotic | General name for antibiotics having a particular spectrum, e. g. oxytetracycline, chlortetracycline, tetracycline, etc. |
| Tebuconazole | Agricultural chemical (triazole fungicide) |
| Triadimenol | Agricultural chemical (phenoxy fungicide) |
| Triazophos | Agricultural chemical (phenoxy insecticide) |
| Sulfur dioxide | Additives (antioxidant) |
| Norovirus | Pathogenic microorganism (A virus that is orally infected via hands, foods, etc. and propagates in human digestive tracts. It causes vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, etc. ) |
| Paclobutrazol | Agricultural chemical (triazole plant growth regulator) |
| Patulin | Mycotoxin (produced by fungi of the genus Penicillium , Aspergillus , etc. ) |
| Patent blue V | Undesignated additive |
| P-hydroxy benzoic acid methyl | Undesignated additive |
| Haloxyfop | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorous herbicide) |
| Sunflower lecithin | Undesignated additive |
| Pyrimethanil | Agricultural chemical (aminopyrimidine fungicide) |
| Fenitrothion | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorus insecticide) |
| Fenamidone | Agricultural chemical (imidazoline fungicide) |
| Bupirimate | Agricultural chemical (fungicide) |
| Buprofezin | Agricultural chemical (heterocyclic fungicide) |
| Furazolidone | Veterinary drug (nitrofuran synthetic antimicrobial), generates AOZ when metabolized |
| Flusilazole | Agricultural chemical (heterocyclic fungicide) |
| Flumequine | Veterinary drug (quinolone antibacterial agent) |
| Propiconazole | Agricultural chemical (heterocyclic fungicide) |
| Profenofos | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorus insecticide) |
| Prometryn | Agricultural chemical (triazine herbicide) |
| Hexaconazole | Agricultural chemical (triazole fungicide) |
| Bendiocarb | Agricultural chemical (carbamate insecticide) |
| Boric acid | Undesignated additive |
| Boscalid | Agricultural chemical (heterocyclic fungicide) |
| Paralytic shellfish poison | Shellfish poison (mainly refers to toxins produced by a harmful plankton accumulated in clams) |
| Malachite green | Veterinary drug (triphenylmethane synthetic antibacterial agent) |
| Malathion | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorus insecticide) |
| Sodium metasilicate | Undesignated additive |
| Methanol | An alcohol used as an organic solvent, etc. |
| Methamidophos | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorus insecticide) |
| Metalaxyl and Mefenoxam | Agricultural chemical (anilide fungicide) |
| Methoxyfenozide | Agricultural chemical (insecticide) |
| Listeria monocytogenes | Pathogenic microorganism (A normal flora in the natural environment that contaminates milk products and processed meat products, and causes influenza-like symptoms including tiredness and fever) |
| 2,4-D | Agricultural chemical (phenoxy acid herbicide) |
| EPN | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorus insecticide) |
| Kudoa septempunctata | A parasite causing food poisoning (Myxosporidia) |
| TBHQ | Undesignated additive |
| β-apo-8'-carotenal | Undesignated additive |
| γ-BHC | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorous insecticide), γ-BHC with a purity of 99% or higher is known as lindane |