The farm ministry decided Wednesday to add 20 items to its list of processed foods that must carry labels showing the origins of their ingredients, ministry officials said.
The decision, which the ministry said is in keeping with efforts to ensure food safety, was made at a meeting of experts held jointly with the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, according to officials at the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry.
The new labeling requirements will become mandatory around fall under the Japanese Agricultural Standards Law, with a grace period of about two years due to be set, the ministry officials said.
Until now, labels on processed foods showing their place of origin had been limited to a small number of items, such as processed eel and dried seaweed.
Among the items that will be subject to the new requirement are dried fruits such as raisins and dried vegetables such as gourds.
Salted foods such as salted mackerel and boiled foods such as boiled eggs are also on the list, as are green tea, rice cakes and alimentary yam paste.
By increasing the number of items that need to be labeled, the ministry said the arrangement will cover fresh foods that are already subject to a labeling requirement and a broad range of processed foods.