Japan: Opportunities in the Land of the Rising Sun |
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The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF)
revised the Japanese Agricultural Standard (JAS) for organic products in
2000. All organic foods sold in Japan after March 2001 must be produced
according to the organic standards of JAS. All such organic foods are given
the official JAS seal and those that do not are not officially recognised as
organic products. The new official JAS standard was introduced by the Minister of
Agriculture to provide uniformity in the organic food industry. Prior to the
ruling, organic foods sold in Japan were produced according to varying
organic standards. Some organic foods were grown with no synthetic pesticides
whilst most were grown with low amounts of pesticides and chemicals. The
broad term for organic foods was ‘Yuki Shokuhin” with much of
them having low levels of pesticides and called green foods. The new ruling has been hailed positive in that there is now one set
of official standards for organic foods and a common logo. However, it has
also had an adverse effect on many Japanese and Asian producers of organic
products. Many Japanese organic food producers, especially fresh produce
growers, do not have their products certified by JAS. It is estimated that
only a fraction of the organic fresh produce grown in Realising the need to meet JAS standards, organic food importers and
foreign inspection & certification bodies have been busy getting their
standards accredited by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture. The Australian
certification and inspection body, NASAA, was the first to receive
accreditation in August 2001 and all organic foods certified by NASAA can now
be marketed with the JAS official logo in Japan. In the last month,
France-based ECOCERT SA and California-based Quality Assurance International
(QAI) have also received accreditation from the Japanese government. These developments are leading to a large influx of imported organic
products that meet JAS standards. The losers in the short term are Japanese
and Asian producers. Chinese exporters of green fresh produce in particular
are seeing lower interest from Japanese companies because of the need to have
the JAS seal on organic products. The JAS standard has been criticised by
some as being a non-tariff barrier to market entry; one that is favouring
Australian, European and American producers. Consumer demand for organic foods continues to strengthen in Japan,
especially since the BSE outbreak at the latter part of 2001. Demand for
organic foods maybe increasing but exporters in regions outside Asia look set
to benefit the most. Want to learn more about Organic Monitor’s capabilities in the
Japanese market, please email
us for more information. |
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Source: |
#5101-45 The Japanese Market for
Organic Beverages #5101-46 The Japanese Market
for Fresh Organic Fruit & Vegetables |
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Posted: |
April 15th 2002 |
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© 2002 Organic Monitor