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Regulation

CAA 栄養成分表示 (別記様式2): Japan nutrition label

CAA 栄養成分表示 (別記様式2), the Japan nutrition label under Food Labelling Act 2015 (Annex 別記様式2 / 別記様式3), 5 mandatory nutrients, per serving as sold, Japanese on pack. Generate a compliant label free.

Reviewed against Food Labelling Act 2015 (Annex 別記様式2 / 別記様式3) · Page updated October 25, 2026

Jurisdiction
Japan (packaged food sold at retail)
Regulation
Food Labelling Act 2015 (Annex 別記様式2 / 別記様式3)
Effective
1 April 2015
Official source
www.caa.go.jp
Generate a Japan labelBack to all formats

Nutrition labelling requirements in Japan

Packaged food sold in Japan must carry a nutrition declaration under Food Labelling Act 2015 (Annex 別記様式2 / 別記様式3). This page covers the Japan - CAA 栄養成分表示 (別記様式2) format: Format 2 short form: 熱量 / たんぱく質 / 脂質 / 炭水化物 / 食塩相当量. A compliant Japan nutrition label declares 5 mandatory nutrients: 熱量, たんぱく質, 脂質, 炭水化物 and 食塩相当量. Values are declared per serving as sold, with energy in kcal, and salt-equivalent rather than salt. The panel is headed "栄養成分表示". Japanese is required on pack. There is no mandatory front-of-pack warning scheme. NFL builds a print-ready Japan nutrition label from your recipe, applying the rounding rules and reference intakes for Japan automatically, and exports it as PDF, PNG, SVG, JPG or EPS.

Official regulation

Citation
Food Labelling Act 2015 (Annex 別記様式2 / 別記様式3)
Effective
1 April 2015
Scope
Japan (packaged food sold at retail)
Source

Key facts

Mandatory nutrients (5)
熱量, たんぱく質, 脂質, 炭水化物 and 食塩相当量
Declaration basis
Per serving as sold
Energy units
kcal
Sodium or salt
Declared as sodium, not salt
Panel heading
栄養成分表示
Label language
Japanese required on pack
Front of pack
No mandatory front-of-pack warning scheme

Japan food labeling requirements under the Food Labeling Act

Japan's Food Labeling Act (Act No. 70 of 2013) is the legal framework for food labeling and is in force. It requires anyone selling food in Japan to follow the Food Labeling Standards (Cabinet Office Ordinance No. 10 of 2015, as amended), which set what information must appear and how it must be shown.

Labels on food sold in Japan must be in Japanese, which is mandatory. For packaged processed foods, the Standards require the product name, ingredients, additives where applicable, net quantity, use-by or best-before date, storage conditions and details of the responsible business, plus allergen and country-of-origin information where the Standards require it.

The Act covers more than nutrition. Article 4 authorises standards for ingredients, additives, nutritional value, energy, country of origin and other information consumers need to choose food and use it safely.

The Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) maintains the Food Labeling Standards and publishes the consolidated rules, guidance and Q&A material that food businesses work from.

Source: Food Labeling Act, Act No. 70 of 2013; Consumer Affairs Agency, Food Labeling Act and Food Labeling Standards.

Mandatory Japan nutrition labeling for packaged processed foods

Nutrition labeling is mandatory in principle for processed foods and food additives sold to consumers in containers or packaging. The declaration must give these five items, in this order:

  • energy;
  • protein;
  • fat;
  • carbohydrates; and
  • sodium, shown as salt equivalent.

The declaration must state the quantity the values refer to. CAA examples include per 100 g, per 100 ml, per serving and per package.

Saturated fatty acids and dietary fibre are voluntary, though the CAA recommends declaring them; they are not among the five mandatory items. Other nutrients, such as sugars, calcium, potassium and vitamins, may also be declared voluntarily if the Standards are followed.

The Standards allow nutrition labeling to be omitted in specified cases, for example foods that contribute little nutritionally, such as water and some seasonings, and certain foods sold by qualifying small businesses. Any exemption should be checked against the current Standards before relying on it.

Source: Consumer Affairs Agency, Nutrition Labeling; Consumer Affairs Agency, Nutrition Information Label.

Why Japan nutrition labeling uses salt equivalent instead of sodium

The nutrient regulated is sodium, but the mandatory Japanese nutrition declaration shows it as salt equivalent (食塩相当量). The CAA describes the mandatory item as sodium displayed in terms of salt equivalent.

The CAA gives the conversion as: salt equivalent in g = sodium in mg × 2.54 ÷ 1,000. For example, 85 mg of sodium is about 0.2 g of salt equivalent.

The CAA explains that salt equivalent helps consumers manage and cut their salt intake, because it can be read directly against dietary salt advice without converting from sodium.

For a food with no added sodium salts, the Standards allow sodium to be declared as well, on a voluntary basis. The CAA guidance shows an example giving both sodium and the matching salt equivalent.

Source: Consumer Affairs Agency, Nutrition Information Label.

How to read Japanese food labels and nutrition information

On a packaged processed food, start with the mandatory descriptive information: product name, ingredient list, additives where applicable, net quantity, date marking, storage instructions, responsible business and any allergen or origin information.

The nutrition panel usually carries the heading 栄養成分表示. The five mandatory entries usually appear as:

  • 熱量 or エネルギー, energy;
  • たんぱく質, protein;
  • 脂質, fat;
  • 炭水化物, carbohydrates; and
  • 食塩相当量, salt equivalent.

Check the basis of the declaration before comparing products. A value per 100 g cannot be compared directly with a value per package or per serving until both are on the same basis.

Read the date according to its type. The CAA distinguishes a use-by date (消費期限) from a best-before date (賞味期限), and both assume the storage conditions printed on the pack are followed.

Source: Consumer Affairs Agency, Food Labelling; Food Labeling Standards, Cabinet Office Ordinance No. 10 of 2015.

Enforcement of Japanese food labeling standards

A business that sells food without the mandatory labeling, or labels it the wrong way, can face administrative action under the Food Labeling Act. Article 6 provides for instructions requiring the business to show the required information or follow the Standards.

The CAA is the central government body for food-labeling policy and administers the Act and the Standards. Enforcement powers in force also sit with the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and, for liquor, the Minister of Finance, depending on the requirement. Prefectural and other local authorities also carry out surveillance, and the CAA publishes cases where instructions or orders have been issued.

Japan also has a voluntary front-of-pack nutrition labeling guideline, published by the CAA on 26 February 2026. It covers energy, protein, fat, carbohydrates and salt equivalent per serving, with percentages of daily reference values. It is not part of the Food Labeling Standards and does not replace the mandatory nutrition declaration.

Source: Food Labeling Act, Act No. 70 of 2013; Consumer Affairs Agency, Japanese Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labeling.

How NFL handles it

  • Applies the correct rounding rules for every nutrient
  • Uses the right Daily Value / Reference Intake table for this jurisdiction
  • Renders the required front-of-pack warnings automatically when thresholds are hit
  • Handles multilingual labels where required (bilingual EN/FR, EN/ES, Arabic + EN, etc.)
  • Exports print-ready vector PDF, PNG, SVG, JPG, and EPS

Common questions

Are food labels required by law in Japan?
Yes, labeling is mandatory. The Food Labeling Act and Food Labeling Standards set legally binding requirements for food sold in Japan, which vary by food category and how it is sold. Labels must be in Japanese.
What must a Japanese nutrition label show?
For processed foods and additives under mandatory nutrition labeling, the declaration must show energy, protein, fat, carbohydrates and sodium expressed as salt equivalent, in that order. It must also state the quantity the values refer to, such as per 100 g, per 100 ml, per serving or per package.
How do you read a Japanese food label?
Check the ingredients, allergens, date marking, storage conditions, quantity and business details, then find the nutrition panel headed 栄養成分表示. In that panel, 熱量 means energy, たんぱく質 protein, 脂質 fat, 炭水化物 carbohydrates and 食塩相当量 salt equivalent.
Why does Japan use salt equivalent instead of sodium?
The regulated nutrient is sodium, but the mandatory declaration shows it as salt equivalent because that figure is easier to use when managing salt intake. The CAA conversion is sodium in mg × 2.54 ÷ 1,000 to get salt equivalent in grams.
Who enforces food labelling in Japan?
The Consumer Affairs Agency administers the national food-labeling framework and maintains the Food Labeling Standards. Enforcement powers in force are shared with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Finance for liquor, and prefectural and other local authorities.
Is nutrition labeling mandatory for every packaged food in Japan?
It is mandatory in principle for processed foods and food additives sold to consumers in packaging. The Standards allow it to be omitted in specified cases, such as foods that contribute little nutritionally and certain foods from qualifying small businesses, so check any exemption against the current Standards.
Are saturated fat and dietary fibre mandatory on Japanese nutrition labels?
No, they are voluntary, though the CAA recommends declaring them. The five mandatory items are energy, protein, fat, carbohydrates and sodium shown as salt equivalent.
Does Japan require front-of-pack nutrition labeling?
No. The CAA's front-of-pack nutrition labeling guideline, published on 26 February 2026, is voluntary and sits outside the mandatory Food Labeling Standards. Foods under the ordinary nutrition-labeling rules must still carry the mandatory nutrition declaration.

How to generate one

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