Japan - Partial Amendment of Specifications And Standards for Foods, Food additives, etc.
The Consumers Affairs Agency (CAA) has published on 29 October 2026 (under CAA Notification No. 475 of 2026) a partial amendment of Specifications and Standards for Foods, Food additives etc. (Act No. 370 of 1959) to revise the maximum residue limits (MRL) of Kasugamycin, Carbaryl, tetraniliprol, Triforine, Prosulfocarb and Mepronil based on Article 13, Paragraph 1 of the Food Sanitation Act (Act No. 233 of 1947).
Main revisions:
1) Maximum Residue Limits (MRL)
Partial amendments have been made for the MRLs of Kasugamycin, Carbaryl, tetraniliprol, Triforine, Prosulfocarb and Mepronil.
An important NOTE for food importers and exporters:
A uniform limit of 0.01 ppm applies to foods for which the MRL column in the attached table is blank, as well as to foods not listed in the table. However, kasugamycin is classified as an "antibiotic or chemically synthesised antibacterial substance" under Section 1, Part A General Compositional Standards for Food of the Notification on Specifications and Standards of Food and Food Additives, no. 370, 1959, etc.
Accordingly, kasugamycin must not be present in any food for which the MRL column is blank or that is not listed in the table.
What does this mean for food businesses?
Companies exporting agricultural products and processed foods to Japan should review the revised MRLs against their existing pesticide residue monitoring and compliance programmes, paying particular attention to the applicable commodity-specific requirements.
Applicable Date:
Amendments 1) shall apply from the date of publication. However, for the below food listed for each agricultural chemical etc., existing standards can still be used within one year from the announcement of this notification.
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(* Please note that these English articles serve as reference only. In case of a discrepancy, the original contents from the official MHLW source shall prevail.)
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