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
(Extension 2495, 2474, 2498)
Inspection Results of Imported Foods Monitoring
and Guidance Plan for FY 2014
Interim Report
December 2014
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 2014 (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”), the government established the Imported Foods Monitoring and Guidance Plan in 2014 (hereinafter, “the plan”). The plan is based on the guidelines for monitoring and providing instructions in food safety (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 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 from April to September 2014.
Reference: Website on “Imported Foods Inspection Services Home Page”
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/topics/importedfoods/index.html
2. Overview of the Imported Foods Monitoring and Guidance Plan for FY 2014
(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 food safety 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 FY2014: 94,000 items across 168 food groups)
- Inspection orders *2 (as of September 30, 2014: 17 items from all exporting countries and 72 items from 29 countries and 1 region)
- Regulations for comprehensive import bans *3
- Emergency responses based on overseas information, etc.
(4) Promotion of Food Safety Measures in Exporting Countries
- Promotion of food safety measures on food exports to Japan through systematic information gathering on safety measures and on-site inspections
- Request for establishing sanitation control measures (e.g., enhanced monitoring systems for agricultural chemical residues, inspection before exportation) through on-site inspections and bilateral consultation
- Dissemination of information on Japanese food safety regulations to government officials and producers by holding explanatory meetings.
(5) Guidance for Importers on Voluntary Safety Control
- Pre-import guidance (so-called “import consulting”)
- Guidance for voluntary inspections before importing, at the first importation, and on a regular basis
- Instructions on the preparing and keeping of records
- Dissemination of knowledge on food safety to importers, etc.
*1: Systematic inspections based on statistical concepts that take into account the volume of imports and violation rates and others, 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 specifically necessary from the perspective of preventing harm to public health.
3. Inspection Results of Imported Foods Monitoring and Guidance Plan for FY 2014 (Interim Report: Tentative)
Looking at the declarations, inspections and violations made from April through September of 2014 (Table 1), there were 1,138,913 [1,106,117] declarations, and the weight of declared items was 11,952,000 [12,321,000] tons.
Inspections were carried out on 99,165 items (there were inspection orders on 28,153 items, monitoring inspections on 27,719 items, and voluntary inspections on 47,739 items) [104,766 items (inspection orders on 30,983 items, monitoring inspections on 29,396 items, and voluntary inspections on 48,859 items)]. Of these, 430 cases [562 cases] were found to be in violation of the Act, and steps were taken for their reshipment, 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 agricultural chemical residues and standards for the use of additives, were the most common in 277 cases, followed by 114 cases violations of Article 6 which is related to contamination with hazardous or toxic substances such as aflatoxin, 28 cases violations of Article 18 which is related to standards for apparatus or containers and packaging, 22 cases violations of Article 10 which is related to restrictions on the sale of additives, 2 cases violations of Article 9 which is related to nonattachment of health certificates of meat or meat products, and 1 case violation of Article 18 (applied mutatis mutandis to Article 62) of the Act which is related to standards for toys.
Records of monitoring in FY 2014 (Table 3) show that, out of a total of 94,043 planned inspections, 55,770 were actually conducted (That’s an implementation rate of about 59%). Of these, a total of 56 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, inspection for the imported foods which are considered to have a high probability of violating the Act, are strengthened and subject to inspection orders at the time of import (Table 5).
As of September 30, 2014, inspection orders had been applied to 17 items from all exporting countries and 72 items from 29 countries and 1 region. The records of inspection orders (Table 6) show that a total of 46,391 inspection orders were conducted and, of these, steps were taken for their reshipment or disposal, etc. based on 105 violations of the Act.
Based on information from overseas on topics such as recalls of law-violating food products, reshipment was carried out and the monitoring system was enhanced, for issues such as the detection of diethylstilbestrol from pork in Denmark and the detection of Enterohemorrhagic E. coli O26 from natural cheese in France (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 (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1,138,913 | 11,952 | 99,165 (28,153)*4 |
8.7 | 430 | 0.04 |
(previous FY) 1,106,117 |
12,321 | 104,766 | 9.5 | 562 | 0.05 |
*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 | Proportion (%) |
Major Violations |
---|---|---|---|
Article 6 ( Foods and Additives prohibited of sales and distribution) | 114 | 25.7 | Aflatoxin contamination in almonds, figs, chestnuts, walnuts, spices, sesame seeds, corn, lotus seeds, job’s tears, pistachio nuts, peanuts etc.; detection of cyanide ; detection of Listeria monocytogenes from natural cheeses and unheated meat products; and decay, deterioration and generation of mold due to accidents during the transport of kidney beans, coffee beans, rice, wheat, soybeans, potatoes, etc. |
Article 9 (Limitation on sales and distribution of diseased meats) | 2 | 0.5 | Nonattachment of health certificate |
Article 10 (Limitation on sales and distribution of additives) | 22 | 5.0 | Use of undesignated additives (TBHQ, acid blue 3 sodium salt, azorubin, carbon monoxide, quinoline yellow, cyclamic acid, methyl-p-hydroxybenzoate, iodized salt, etc.) |
Article 11 (Standards and specifications for foods and additives) | 277 | 62.4 | 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 drugs, violation of standards for residual pesticides); violation of specifications for other processed products (positive reaction on coliform bacilli, etc.); non-conformity to standards for storage of heated meat products; non-conformity to standards for manufacturing food products in general; violation of standards for usage of additives (BHT, sorbic acid, sulfur dioxide, etc.); and violation of specifications for additives |
Article 18 (Standards and specifications for instruments and containers/packages) | 28 | 6.3 | Violation of specifications/standards for instruments and containers/packages; violation of specification for raw materials. |
Article 62 (Mutatis mutandis as applied to toys, etc.) | 1 | 0.2 | Violation of specifications for toys or their raw materials. |
Total | 444 (total)*1 430 (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. | 1,909 | 1,064 | 0 |
Residual agricultural chemicals | 1,191 | 992 | 0 | |
Additives | 118 | 111 | 0 | |
Pathogenic microorganism | 686 | 344 | 0 | |
Standards for constituents | 295 | 259 | 0 | |
Exposure to radiation | 29 | 22 | 0 | |
Removal of SRM | 2,500 | 844 | 0 | |
Processed livestock foods Natural cheeses, meat products, ice cream, frozen products (meat products), and others |
Antibacterial substances, etc. | 2,266 | 1,315 | 0 |
Residual agricultural chemicals | 1,697 | 1,126 | 0 | |
Additives | 1,247 | 892 | 0 | |
Pathogenic microorganism | 3,584 | 1,986 | 3 | |
Standards for constituents | 1,547 | 1,067 | 0 | |
Seafood products Bivalves, fish, shellfish (shrimps, crabs) and others |
Antibacterial substances, etc. | 2,752 | 1,423 | 1 |
Residual agricultural chemicals | 1,613 | 1,228 | 0 | |
Additives | 297 | 163 | 0 | |
Pathogenic microorganism | 1,074 | 910 | 0 | |
Standards for constituents | 539 | 333 | 0 | |
Exposure to radiation | 34 | 19 | 0 | |
Processed seafoods Processed fish products (fillet, dried or minced fish, etc.), frozen food (seafood, fish), processed fish roe products, and others |
Antibacterial substances, etc. | 3,757 | 2,717 | 2 |
Residual agricultural chemicals | 3,904 | 2,976 | 2 | |
Additives | 1,927 | 1,502 | 0 | |
Pathogenic microorganism | 4,063 | 2,771 | 1 | |
Standards for constituents | 2,867 | 1,795 | 11 | |
Agricultural foods Vegetables, fruits, wheat and barley, corn, beans, peanuts, nuts, seeds, and others |
Antibacterial substances, etc. | 2,979 | 1,724 | 0 |
Residual agricultural chemicals | 9,129 | 5,884 | 12 | |
Additives | 774 | 538 | 0 | |
Pathogenic microorganism | 1,495 | 1,131 | 0 | |
Standards for constituents | 355 | 237 | 0 | |
Mycotoxins | 2,871 | 1,400 | 2 | |
GMOs | 235 | 220 | 0 | |
Exposure to radiation | 119 | 87 | 0 | |
Processed agricultural foods Frozen products (processed vegetables), processed vegetable products, processed fruit products, spices, instant noodles, and others |
Antibacterial substances, etc. | 598 | 320 | 0 |
Residual agricultural chemicals | 8,148 | 4,970 | 5 | |
Additives | 4,222 | 3,096 | 0 | |
Pathogenic microorganism | 956 | 781 | 0 | |
Standards for constituents | 2,499 | 1,763 | 6 | |
Mycotoxins | 2,594 | 1,482 | 0 | |
GMOs | 427 | 71 | 1 | |
Exposure to radiation | 424 | 240 | 0 | |
Other foods Health foods, soups, seasonings, confectionaries, edible oils, fat, frozen products, and others |
Residual agricultural chemicals | 1,434 | 737 | 0 |
Additives | 2,685 | 1,647 | 3 | |
Standards for constituents | 598 | 266 | 1 | |
Mycotoxins | 1,135 | 545 | 0 | |
Drinks and beverages Mineral water, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, and others |
Residual agricultural chemicals | 358 | 301 | 0 |
Additives | 1,374 | 876 | 0 | |
Standards for constituents | 657 | 441 | 1 | |
Mycotoxins | 118 | 78 | 0 | |
Additives Equipment, containers and packages Toys |
Standards for constituents | 1,433 | 1,050 | 5 |
Total (number) 6,530 were added to the No. of Programs Planned in FY as “foods subject to enhanced monitoring inspections.” |
94,043 | 55,770 Rate of program implemented: about 59% |
56 |
*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.), shellfish poisons (diarrhetic shellfish toxin, paralytic shellfish poison), etc.
- - Pathogenic microorganisms (Enterohemorrhagic E. coli O26, O103, O104, O111 and O157, Listeria monocytogenes, etc.)
- - Mycotoxin: aflatoxin, deoxynivalenol, patulin, etc.
- - Genetically modified organisms (GMOs): 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 Item |
---|---|---|
China | Constricted tagelus | Prometryn |
Sea urchin (for raw consumption) | Vibrio parahaemolyticus*4 | |
Chinese pepper (Zanthoxylum bungeanum) |
Aflatoxin | |
Sesame seed | Dicofol | |
Taro | Chlorpyrifos | |
Octopus | Furazolidone | |
Carrot | Triadimenol | |
Allium Wakegi | Difenoconazole | |
Thailand | Green soybeans | Triazophos |
Feverweed | Chlorpyrifos | |
Holy basil | EPN | |
Pandanus palm leaf | 2,4-D | |
South Korea | Arch shell (for raw consumption) | Vibrio parahaemolyticus*3 |
Eel | Ofloxacin | |
New Zealand | Green peas | Haloxyfop |
Carrot | Methamidophos | |
USA | Celery | Bifenthrin |
Blueberry | Buprofezin | |
India | Chickpeas | Glyphosate |
Indonesia | Boiled crab (for consumption without reheating) | Vibrio parahaemolyticus*3 |
Ethiopia | Coffee beans | Chlorpyrifos |
Australia | Cottonseed | Aflatoxin |
Netherlands | Cabbage | Pencycuron |
Ghana | Cacao beans | Fenvalerate |
Taiwan | Carrot | Methamidophos |
Philippines | Sea urchin (for raw consumption) | Vibrio parahaemolyticus*3 |
Honduras | Coffee beans | Chlorpyrifos |
*1 In FY2014, 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 manner. However, if no similar violations were detected over 60 enhanced monitoring inspections or over 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 (Jun-Oct 2014).
*4 As a measure to enhance inspections during the summer period, 30% of import declarations were inspected (Jun-Oct 2014).
Country/Region | Subject food | Test Item |
---|---|---|
Italy | Unheated meat products (limited to the specified manufacturers) | Listeria monocytogenes |
Processed pistachio nuts products | Aflatoxin | |
Spain | Unheated meat products (limited to the specified manufacturers) | Listeria monocytogenes |
Processed pistachio nuts products | Aflatoxin | |
China | Onion | Thiamethoxam |
Foods (limited to the specified manufacturers) | Cyclamic acid | |
France | Natural cheese (limited to the specified manufacturers) | Enterohemorrhagic E. coli O26 |
Unheated meat products (limited to the specified manufacturers) | Listeria monocytogenes | |
Ghana | Cacao beans | Cypermethrin |
South Korea | Cultured olive flounder (limited to the specified farmers) | Kudoa septempunctata |
Nigeria | Sesame seeds | Aflatoxin |
Bangladesh | Cumin seeds | Profenofos |
Burkina Faso | Sesame seeds | Imidacloprid |
Country/Region | Main subject foods | Main test item | No. of tests |
No. of violations |
---|---|---|---|---|
All exporting countries (17 items) |
Peanut, almond, chili pepper, etc. | Aflatoxin | 5,511 | 32 |
Salted salmon roe | Nitrite | 177 | 2 | |
Beans containing cyanide, cassava | Cyanide | 247 | 4 | |
China (20 items) |
Eel, shrimp, soft-shelled turtle, etc. | Sulfadimidine, malachite green, chlortetracycline, sulfamethoxazole, enrofloxacin, etc. | 3,922 | 1 |
Vegetables, nuts, seafood, etc. (green soybean, onion, spinach, peanut, bivalves, etc.) |
Difenoconazole, thiamethoxam, prometryn, dieldrin (including aldrin), endrin, etc. | 7,629 | 20 | |
Bivalves | Paralytic shellfish poison, diarrhetic shellfish toxin | 3,206 | 0 | |
All processed products | Cyclamic acid | 325 | 0 | |
Chinese pepper(Zanthoxylum bungeanum), lotus seed | Aflatoxin | 35 | 1 | |
South Korea (11 items) |
Bivalves | Paralytic shellfish poison, diarrhetic shellfish toxin | 82 | 0 |
Red chili, freshwater clam | Difenoconazole, endosulfan | 58 | 2 | |
Olive flounder | Enrofloxacin, oxytetracycline | 12 | 0 | |
Arch shells | Vibrio parahaemolyticus | 2 | 0 | |
Thailand (8 items) |
Okra, mango, green asparagus, banana, red chili, etc. | EPN, chlorpyrifos, profenofos, cypermethrin, difenoconazole, etc. | 1,275 | 1 |
Italy (7 items) |
Cheese, unheated meat products, etc. | Listeria monocytogenes | 1,019 | 6 |
Chestnut, pistachio nuts, etc. | Aflatoxin | 248 | 3 | |
India (6 items) |
Cultured shrimp | Furazolidone | 723 | 5 |
Cassia torea, chickpea | Aflatoxin | 56 | 0 | |
Cumin seeds, red chili, etc. | Profenofos, glyphosate, triazophos, etc. | 43 | 1 | |
Other (24 countries and 1 region, total 40 items) | 21,821 | 27 | ||
Total | 46,391 | 105 |
Month of enhancement |
Subject country |
Subject food and details | Background and status |
---|---|---|---|
July | Denmark | Danish pork processed by DANISH CROWN (EST.71) (May contain diethylstilbestrol) |
Information was received stating that in Denmark diethylstilbestrol was detected in urine of pigs processed by DANISH CROWN (EST.71) and the relevant products were being voluntarily recalled. When an import notification was made for pork processed at the relevant facility, steps were taken for re-shipment etc. |
July | France | Soft and semi-soft type natural cheese (May be contaminated with Enterohemorrhagic E. coli O26) |
Information was received stating that in France enterohemorrhagic E. coli O26 was detected in soft and semi-soft type natural cheese and the relevant products were being voluntarily recalled. When an import notification was made for such recall products, steps were taken for re-shipment. |
September | France | Natural cheese (May be contaminated with Enterohemorrhagic E. coli O26) |
Information was received stating that in France enterohemorrhagic E. coli O26 was detected in semi-hard type natural cheese and the relevant products were being voluntarily recalled. Steps were taken to specify the relevant manufacturer subject to inspection orders. |
Term | Description |
---|---|
Acid blue 3 sodium salt | Undesignated additive |
Nitrite | Additive (color former) |
Azorubin | Undesignated additive |
Aflatoxin | Mycotoxin (produced by fungi such as Aspergillus) |
Carbon monoxide | Undesignated additive |
Genetic modification | Technology, for instance, to fragment bacterial genes and arrange the gene sequences or introduce the fragmented genes into other organism’s genes |
Imidacloprid | Agricultural chemical (chloronicotinyl insecticide) |
Endosulfan | Agricultural chemical (organochlorine insecticide) |
Endrin | Agricultural chemical (organochlorine insecticide) |
Enrofloxacin | Veterinary drug (new quinolone synthetic antibacterial agent) |
Oxytetracycline | Veterinary drug (tetracycline antibiotic) |
Ofloxacin | Veterinary drug (new quinolone synthetic antibacterial agent) |
Quinoline yellow | Undesignated additive |
Glyphosate | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorus herbicide) |
Chlortetracycline | Veterinary drug (tetracycline antibiotic) |
Chlorpyrifos | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorus insecticide) |
Diarrhetic shellfish toxin | Shellfish poison (mainly refers to toxins produced by a harmful plankton accumulated in bivalves) |
Cyclamic acid | Undesignated additive |
Cyanide | Harmful or poisonous substance (cyanide-related compounds (e.g., cyanogenic glycoside) found in vegetables such as some varieties of beans) |
Diethylstilbestrol | Veterinary drug (hormonal agent) |
Dicofol | Agricultural chemical (organochlorine insecticide) |
Difenoconazole | Agricultural chemical (triazole fungicide) |
Cypermethrin | Agricultural chemical (pyrethroid insecticide) |
Sulfadimidine | Veterinary drug (synthetic antibacterial agent) |
Sulfamethoxazole | Synthetic antibacterial agent (sulfur agent) |
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 with large amounts of fresh blood after early cold-like symptoms) |
Dieldrin (including aldrin) | Agricultural chemical (organochlorine insecticide) |
Deoxynivalenol | Mycotoxin (produced by Fusarium fungi) |
Triadimenol | Agricultural chemical (phenoxy fungicide) |
Triazophos | Agricultural chemical (phenoxy insecticide) |
Patulin | Mycotoxin (produced by fungi of the genus Penicillium, Aspergillus, etc.) |
Methyl-p-hydroxybenzoate | Undesignated additive |
Haloxyfop | Agricultural chemical (organochlorine herbicide) |
Bifenthrin | Agricultural chemical (pyrethroid insecticide) |
Fenvalerate | Agricultural chemical (pyrethroid insecticide) |
Buprofezin | Agricultural chemical (heterocyclic fungicide) |
Furazolidone | Veterinary drug (nitrofuran synthetic antibacterial agent), generates AOZ when metabolized |
Profenofos | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorus insecticide) |
Prometryn | Agricultural chemical (triazine herbicide) |
Pencycuron | Agricultural chemical (urea fungicide) |
Paralytic shellfish poison | Shellfish poison (mainly refers to toxins produced by a harmful plankton accumulated in bivalves) |
Malachite green | Veterinary drug (triphenylmethane synthetic antibacterial agent) |
Methanol | An alcohol used as organic solvent etc. |
Methamidophos | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorus insecticide) |
Iodized salt | Undesignated additive |
Listeria monocytogenes | Pathogenic microorganism (a microorganism widely found in the natural environment that mainly contaminates dairy products and processed meat products, and causes influenza-like symptoms with tiredness and fever) |
2,4-D | Agricultural chemical (phenoxy acid herbicide) |
EPN | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorus insecticide) |
Kudoa septempunctata | Parasite that causes food poisoning (Myxosporidia) |
TBHQ | Undesignated additive |