Japan Seeking Input on Approved Product List for Food Packaging

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is asking for input on substances, specifically “synthetic resins,” used in food packaging, as it develops a list of approved products, the U.S. Department of Agriculture' Foreign Agricultural Service said in an April 26 notice. Japan notified the World Trade Organization last year of “its intent to replace its current negative list of synthetic resins for food packaging and container materials with a positive list,” USDA said. Since then, Japan has created a “provisional list” of substances, but is seeking input from the “foreign industry” to “ensure that the new positive list contains substances in current use, including those not commonly used in Japan but of importance to foreign operators,” the notice said.