In the face of increasing food imports, the health ministry plans to ease restrictions on additives if they are accepted internationally, officials said Friday.

Such a move by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry would reverse a 30-year-old policy of recommending that foods be additive-free.

The ministry decided on the change because an increasing number of imported foods contain additives that are approved internationally but not in Japan.

A recent ministry survey found that one such additive, ferrocyanide, is contained in many imported food products that use salt.

The policy change will probably be greeted with criticism from consumer groups that remain wary over food additives, analysts said.

Companies that were forced to recall products following news that Kyowa Perfumery & Chemical Co. had manufactured banned flavoring agents are also expected to raise questions about the ministry's new position, they said.

Responding to critics, the ministry's food sanitation chief, Shimpei Ozaki, told reporters, "It causes public anxiety and confuses markets if we continue to use outdated standards and force food makers to recall their products."

The ministry will allow foods with ferrocyanide to be distributed by the end of this month, the officials said.

Proper labels urged

The agriculture and health ministries proposed Friday that food labels should be designed to give consumers proper information on the safety of products, officials said.

The proposal was made at the fourth meeting of a panel set up by the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry and the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry to discuss food labeling following a series of false-labeling scandals.

Other proposals include whether a food labeling law should be enacted to empower a single body to oversee the issue, the officials said.

The panel will compile an interim report at the end of July, they said.