Terrific Food Label Guide!

I'm really, really impressed by the post by Ashley over at her Surving in Japan blog, about reading food labels in Japan. I learned a lot! And I'm supposed to be the expert! That just shows how complicated it can be to shop for food in a foreign country. Fortunately, Japan has laws and regulations that help us who try to buy healthy and environmentally friendly food. Head over to Ashely's (long) post and I promise, you will be happier for it.

The Ultimate Guide to Reading Food Labels in Japan

When I first came to Japan, attempting to read food labels and understand what things were and what was IN what I was buying and eating was a huge obstacle. I could read hiragana, katakana and some kanji, but the majority of the food labels were confusing and I spent extensive amounts of time at the supermarket, smartphone in hand with a Japanese-English dictionary open, trying to decipher ingredients and information. I'd also use the smartphone app, ShinKanji, to search for various kanji and words I couldn't read.

The work paid off, and though now I can't read every single Japanese word without consulting a J-E dictionary or looking up certain kanji, I can usually quickly scan most labels to find what I want to know.

A guide to reading food labels in Japan is also one of the most popular post topic requests I've received. It's something most of us struggle with when we first arrive, and I'd imagine even some of those who are fluent may not have known every word or kanji at first. Deciphering Japanese food labels, the entirety of them anyway, isn't particularly easy, but I've attempted to break them down for you here. Note that I have not covered various ingredients aside from common allergens, as that's something to cover in a separate post (or more than one). This one is already long!

I should note that food labels in Japan aren't always consistent, as you'll see below, and although, for example, you'll usually see information about the total calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates and similar main nutrients, you won't always see much about other minerals or vitamins (though things like fortified cereals, breads, etc., often list these).

I've also tried to include a variety of words you'll see, but some terms/phrases are worded slightly different, although the meaning is generally the same, e.g., "賞味期限" and "消費期限" both mean "best before; best eaten by" or the expiration date.


Meanwhile, my own favourite labels are stuff like 無添加　mutenka (no additives) and 遺伝子組み替えない idenshikumikae nai (No genetically modified organisms) and of course 有機 yuuki (Organic). I also like when the farmers are properly introduced. I try to by local which is easy in all of the supermarkets where I live, as they have sections with produce from around town - or should I say country. That's what I recommended in my food book, that was published three years ago by Kodansha. At least with more local control over your food, you have better chances of playing it safe.

Better food labels are a huge part of what we do at Consumers Union of Japan. But it is also up to everyone to study up on things like salt intake or calories, as I have been made aware of recently

Let me just add that there are a lot of Japanese food labels like 天日塩 tenpijioo (natural sun-dried salt) or indications to help you buy honey that haven't been altered in all kinds of ways... And don't get me started on natto, miso, and tofu. Or what the different 酒　sake makers put on their labels!? This is a really fun topic. Thanks Ashley for all your research.!