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 Environmental Health and Food Safety,
Pharmaceutical Safety and Environmental Health Bureau,
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
Inspection Results of Imported Foods Monitoring
and Guidance Plan for FY 2015
Interim Report
December 2015
Department of Environmental Health and Food Safety
Pharmaceutical Safety and Environmental Health Bureau
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
Inspection Results of Imported Foods Monitoring and Guidance Plan for FY 2015 (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 2015 (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, conducted in accordance with the plan, for the period from April to September 2015.
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 2015
(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 FY2015: 95,000 items across 171 food groups)
- Inspection orders *2 (as of September 30, 2015: 17 items from all exporting countries and 75 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 2015 (Interim Report: Tentative)
Looking at the declarations, inspections and violations made from April through September of 2015 (Table 1), there were 1,134,155 [1,138,913] declarations, and the weight of declared items was approximately 11,416,000 [11,952,000] tons.
Inspections were carried out on 101,922 items (there were inspection orders on 31,764 items, monitoring inspections on 28,539 items, and voluntary inspections on 47,067 items) [99,165 items (inspection orders on 28,153 items, monitoring inspections on 27,719 items, and voluntary inspections on 47,739 items)]. Of these, 431 cases [430 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 312 cases, followed by 105 cases violations of Article 6 which is related to contamination with hazardous or toxic substances such as aflatoxin, 26 cases violations of Article 10 which is related to restrictions on the sale of additives, and 17 cases violations of Article 18 which is related to standards for apparatus or containers and packaging.
Records of monitoring in FY 2015 (Table 3) show that, out of a total of 95,090 planned inspections, 57,455 were actually conducted (That’s an implementation rate of about 60%). Of these, a total of 93 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, 2015, inspection orders had been applied to 17 items from all exporting countries and 75 items from 29 countries and 1 region. The records of inspection orders (Table 6) show that a total of 47,760 inspection orders were conducted and, of these, steps were taken for their reshipment or disposal, etc. based on 116 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 import examination was enhanced, for issues such as the contamination of glass pieces from bottled wine in South Africa, detection of Salmonella 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*1 (cases) | Percentage *2 (%) |
No. of Violations (cases) | Percentage *3 (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1,134,155 | 11,416 | 101,922 (31,764) *4 |
9.0 | 431 | 0.04 |
(previous FY) 1,138,913 |
11,952 | 99,165 | 8.7 | 430 | 0.04 |
*1 Values obtained after excluding overlapping cases from the total values of inspections by governments, registered laboratories, and public organizations of the exporting country.
*2 Proportion of the number of inspections to the number of notifications
*3 Proportion of the number of violations 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) | 105 | 22.8 | Aflatoxin contamination in almonds, figs, walnuts, spices, corn, chia seeds,job’s tears, pistachio nuts, peanuts etc.; detection of cyanide; and decay, deterioration and generation of mold due to accidents during the transport of adzuki beans, coffee beans, rice, wheat, soybeans, butter beans, mixing with toxic fish, detection of Kudoa septempunctata from cultured olive flounder etc., |
Article 10 (Limitation on sales and distribution of additives) | 26 | 5.7 | Use of undesignated additives (TBHQ, azorubin, carbon monoxide, Orange II, cyclamic acid, Fast Red E, iodized salt, etc.) |
Article 11 (Standards and specifications for foods and additives) | 312 | 67.8 | Violation of specifications for vegetables and frozen vegetables (violation of standards for residual pesticides); violation of specifications for meat, 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 food 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) |
17 | 3.7 | Violation of specifications/standards for instruments and containers/packages; violation of specification for raw materials |
Total | 460 (total)*1 431 (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. | 1,879 | 1,146 | 4 |
Residual agricultural chemicals | 1,191 | 1,069 | 0 | |
Additives | 118 | 104 | 0 | |
Pathogenic microorganism | 657 | 333 | 0 | |
Standards for constituents | 295 | 254 | 0 | |
Exposure to radiation | 29 | 16 | 0 | |
Removal of SRM | - | 601 | 0 | |
Processed livestock foods Natural cheeses, meat products, ice cream, frozen products (meat products), and others |
Antibacterial substances, etc. | 2,236 | 1,347 | 1 |
Residual agricultural chemicals | 1,697 | 1,169 | 0 | |
Additives | 1,247 | 844 | 0 | |
Pathogenic microorganism | 3,584 | 1,866 | 2 | |
Standards for constituents | 2,236 | 1,305 | 2 | |
Mycotoxins | - | 1 | 0 | |
Seafood products Bivalves, fish, shellfish (shrimps, crabs) and others |
Antibacterial substances, etc. | 2,572 | 1,510 | 0 |
Residual agricultural chemicals | 1,014 | 1,229 | 0 | |
Additives | 297 | 176 | 2 | |
Pathogenic microorganism | 1,074 | 821 | 1 | |
Standards for constituents | 359 | 251 | 0 | |
Exposure to radiation | 34 | 20 | 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. | 4,114 | 2,938 | 1 |
Residual agricultural chemicals | 4,051 | 3,048 | 0 | |
Additives | 1,924 | 1,497 | 1 | |
Pathogenic microorganism | 4,661 | 3,340 | 3 | |
Standards for constituents | 4,930 | 2,543 | 24 | |
Exposure to radiation | - | 7 | 0 | |
Agricultural foods Vegetables, fruits, wheat and barley, corn, beans, peanuts, nuts, seeds, and others |
Antibacterial substances, etc. | 2,559 | 1,839 | 0 |
Residual agricultural chemicals | 8,831 | 5,494 | 17 | |
Additives | 474 | 391 | 2 | |
Pathogenic microorganism | 1,495 | 1,120 | 0 | |
Standards for constituents | 355 | 186 | 0 | |
Mycotoxins | 2,513 | 1,309 | 1 | |
GMOs | 464 | 223 | 0 | |
Exposure to radiation | 119 | 78 | 0 | |
Processed agricultural foods Frozen products (processed vegetables), processed vegetable products, processed fruit products, spices, instant noodles, and others |
Antibacterial substances, etc. | 598 | 403 | 0 |
Residual agricultural chemicals | 6,980 | 4,918 | 6 | |
Additives | 4,551 | 3,440 | 2 | |
Pathogenic microorganism | 956 | 741 | 0 | |
Standards for constituents | 2,349 | 1,805 | 8 | |
Mycotoxins | 2,774 | 1,712 | 1 | |
GMOs | 198 | 128 | 1 | |
Exposure to radiation | 424 | 281 | 0 | |
Other foods Health foods, soups, seasonings, confectionaries, edible oils, fat, frozen products, and others |
Antibacterial substances, etc. | - | 1 | 0 |
Residual agricultural chemicals | 1,014 | 647 | 0 | |
Additives | 2,984 | 1,951 | 2 | |
Standards for constituents | 598 | 262 | 5 | |
Mycotoxins | 1,135 | 620 | 0 | |
GMOs | - | 1 | 0 | |
Drinks and beverages Mineral water, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, and others |
Residual agricultural chemicals | 88 | 109 | 0 |
Additives | 1,075 | 714 | 1 | |
Standards for constituents | 657 | 460 | 1 | |
Mycotoxins | 118 | 83 | 0 | |
GMOs | - | 2 | 0 | |
Additives Equipment, containers and packages Toys |
Standards for constituents | 1,582 | 1,102 | 5 |
Total (number) 10,000 were added to the No. of Programs Planned in FY as “foods subject to enhanced monitoring inspections.” |
95,090 | 57,455 Rate of program implemented: about 60% |
93 |
*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.
- - Pathogenic microorganisms (Enterohemorrhagic E. coli O26, O103, O104, O111, O121, O145 and O157, Listeria monocytogenes, etc.)
- - Standards for constituents, etc.: Items stipulated in the compositional standards (bacteria count, coliform bacteria etc.), shellfish poisons (diarrhetic shellfish toxin, paralytic shellfish poison), 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 | Oolong tea | Indoxacarb |
Shrimp | Chlortetracycline | |
Wood ears (Auricularia spp.) |
Chlorpyrifos | |
Taro | Chlorpyrifos | |
Cultured shrimp | Furazolidone (as AOZ) | |
Thailand | Fresh lime leaves | Profenofos |
Pork | Furazolidone | |
Balsam pear | Metalaxyl | |
Shrimp (for raw consumption) | Vibrio parahaemolyticus*3 | |
Egypt | Calendula (Calendula officinalis) | Chlorpyrifos |
Profenofos | ||
Philippines | Mangos | Azoxystrobin |
Papaya | Cypermethrin | |
USA | Raspberry | Methoxyfenozide |
Propolis | Chloramphenicol | |
Argentina | Chia seed | 2,4-D |
Italy | Non-glutinous rice | Pirimiphos-methyl |
India | Cumin seeds | IBP (Iprobenfos) |
United Kingdom | Parsnip | Tebuconazole |
Ecuador | Cacao beans | Diuron (DCMU) |
Australia | Rape or colza seeds | Fenitrothion |
Austria | Horseradish | Difenoconazole |
Canada | Propolis | Chloramphenicol |
South Korea | Freshwater clam | Endosulfan |
Greece | Honey | Coumaphos |
Colombia | Coffee beans | Chlorpyrifos |
Chile | Grape | Profenofos |
France | Apple juice | Patulin |
Peru | Quinoa | Fipronil |
Bolivia | Chia seed | 2,4-D |
South Africa | Grapefruit | Epoxiconazole |
Mexico | Star fruit | Fludioxonil |
Morocco | Chaste tree berries (Vitex agnus-castus) | Aflatoxin |
*1 In FY2015, 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 2015).
Country/Region | Subject food | Test Item |
---|---|---|
France | Chicken | Nicarbazin |
Natural cheese (limited to the specified manufacturers) | Enterohemorrhagic E. coli O26, O145, O157 | |
Italy | Natural cheese (limited to the specified manufacturers) | Listeria monocytogenes |
Australia | Processed almond products | Aflatoxin |
South Korea | Cultured olive flounder (limited to the specified farmers) | Kudoa septempunctata |
Thailand | Shrimp for raw consumption (limited to the specified manufacturers) | Vibrio parahaemolyticus |
Taiwan | Foods (limited to the specified manufacturers) | Cyclamic acid |
China | Foods (limited to the specified manufacturers) | Cyclamic acid |
Philippines | Okra (limited to the specified exporters) | Fluazifop |
Country/Region | Main subject foods | Main test item | No. of tests |
No. of violations |
---|---|---|---|---|
All exporting countries |
Almond, Chili pepper, Peanut, etc. | Aflatoxin | 5,521 | 34 |
Salted salmon roe | Nitrite | 260 | 0 | |
Cassava, Beans containing cyanide | Cyanide | 237 | 6 | |
Puffer fish | Identification of fish species | 2 | 1 | |
China |
Vegetables, Fruits, Seafood, etc. (Green soybean, Onion, Spinach, Lychees, Bivalves, etc.) |
Endrin, Difenoconazole, Thiamethoxam, Dieldrin (including aldrin), Prometryn, etc. | 11,253 | 19 |
Eel, Shrimp, Soft-shelled turtle | Enrofloxacin, Oxolinic acid, Chlortetracycline, Sulfadimidine, Malachite green | 3,348 | 0 | |
Bivalves | Paralytic shellfish poison, Diarrhetic shellfish poison | 2,730 | 0 | |
All processed products | Cyclamic acid | 379 | 0 | |
Lotus seed | Aflatoxin | 9 | 0 | |
South Korea |
Tomato, Red chili, Freshwater clam, etc. | Endosulfan, Difenoconazole, Fluquinconazole, etc. | 399 | 3 |
Bivalves | Paralytic shellfish poison, Diarrhetic shellfish poison | 68 | 0 | |
Cultured olive flounder | Enrofloxacin, Oxytetracycline | 18 | 0 | |
Thailand |
Red chili, Okra, Green asparagus, Banana, Mangos, etc. | EPN, Chlorpyrifos, Difenoconazole, Cypermethrin, Profenofos, etc. | 1,039 | 0 |
India |
Cultured shrimp | Furazolidone | 842 | 1 |
Cassia torea, Chickpea, Fenugreek seed | Aflatoxin | 110 | 0 | |
Cumin seeds, Red chili, etc. | Glyphosate, Triazophos, Profenofos, Hexaconazole, etc. | 79 | 1 | |
Italy |
Chestnuts, Corns, Pistachio nuts | Aflatoxin | 220 | 4 |
Natural cheese. | Listeria monocytogenes | 55 | 0 | |
Other (25 countries and 1 region, total 37 items) | 21,191 | 47 | ||
Total | 47,760 | 116 |
*Total number means number of tests and violation item-by-item inspections
Month of enhancement |
Subject country |
Subject food and details | Background and status |
---|---|---|---|
April | France | Natural cheese |
Information was received stating that in France Salmonella was detected from natural cheese and the relevant products were being voluntarily recalled. When an import notification was made for such recall products, steps were taken for reshipment. |
May | France | Natural cheese (May be contaminated with Salmonella) |
Information was received stating that in France Salmonella was detected from natural cheese and the relevant products were being voluntarily recalled. When an import notification was made for such recall products, steps were taken for reshipment. |
June | South Africa | Bottled wine (May contain the glass pieces) |
Information was received stating that in South Africa the glass pieces were found in bottled wine and the relevant products were being voluntarily recalled. When an import notification was made for such recall products, steps were taken for reshipment. |
Term | Description |
---|---|
Nitrite | Additive (color former) |
Azoxystrobin | Agricultural chemical (fungicide) |
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 |
Indoxacarb | Agricultural chemical (insecticide) |
Epoxiconazole | Agricultural chemical (fungicide) |
Endosulfan | Agricultural chemical (organochlorine insecticide) |
Endrin | Agricultural chemical (organochlorine insecticide) |
Enrofloxacin | Veterinary drug (new quinolone synthetic antibacterial agent) |
Oxytetracycline | Veterinary drug (tetracycline antibiotic) |
Oxolinic acid | Veterinary drug (quinolone synthetic antibacterial agent) |
Orange II | Undesignated additive |
Coumaphos | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorus insecticide) |
Glyphosate | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorus herbicide) |
Chloramphenicol | Veterinary drug (chloramphenicol antibiotic) |
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 |
Salmonella | Pathogenic microorganism (A bacterium that is ubiquitous in nature. It contaminates mostly eggs and meat, and causes acute abdominal pain, diarrhea and fever.) |
Cyanide | Harmful or poisonous substance (cyanide-related compounds (e.g., cyanogenic glycoside) found in vegetables such as some varieties of beans) |
Diuron (DCMU) | Agricultural chemical (herbicide) |
Difenoconazole | Agricultural chemical (triazole fungicide) |
Cypermethrin | Agricultural chemical (pyrethroid insecticide) |
Sulfadimidine | Veterinary drug (synthetic antibacterial agent) |
Sorbic acid | Additive (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 with large amounts of fresh blood after early cold-like symptoms) |
Dieldrin (including aldrin) | Agricultural chemical (organochlorine insecticide) |
Deoxynivalenol | Mycotoxin (produced by Fusarium fungi) |
Tebuconazole | Agricultural chemical (triazole fungicide) |
Triazophos | Agricultural chemical (phenoxy insecticide) |
Sulfur dioxide | Additive (antioxidant agents) |
Patulin | Mycotoxin (produced by fungi of the genus Penicillium, Aspergillus, etc.) |
Pirimiphos-methyl | Agricultural chemical (insecticide) |
Fast red E | Undesignated additive |
Fipronil | Agricultural chemical (heterocyclic insecticide) |
Fenitrothion | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorus insecticide) |
Furazolidone | Veterinary drug (nitrofuran synthetic antibacterial agent), generates AOZ when metabolized |
Fluazifop | Agricultural chemical (herbicide) |
Fluquinconazole | Agricultural chemical (fungicide) |
Fludioxonil | Agricultural chemical (antifungal agent) |
Profenofos | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorus insecticide) |
Prometryn | Agricultural chemical (triazine herbicide) |
Hexaconazole | Agricultural chemical (triazole 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) |
Metalaxyl | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorus insecticide) |
Methoxyfenozide | Agricultural chemical (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) |
BHT (butylhydroxytoluene) | Additive (antioxidant agent) |
EPN | Agricultural chemical (organophosphorus insecticide) |
IBP (Iprobenfos) | Agricultural chemical (fungicide) |
Kudoa septempunctata | Parasite that causes food poisoning (Myxosporidia) |
TBHQ | Undesignated additive |