Japan depends upon overseas supply for a wide variety of oilseeds. As a result, the first point of emphasis is acquiring safe seeds. In particular, the greatest caution it taken for residual pesticides which exceed the maximum residue limit.
Pesticides are regulated by the Food Sanitation Act. These regulations were enacted in order to further increase the safety of food products. The Positive List System was implemented from May 29, 2006. This system is based on the general principle of keeping all pesticide residue under 0.01 ppm (uniform standard). A maximum residue limit for each type of pesticide is defined depending on the frequency of usage for that pesticide. The Act also defines pesticides which must not be detected in any amount.
First, oil seeds imported into Japan are monitored (checked for residual pesticides) at government quarantine stations. If pesticides exceeding the maximum residue limit are detected, use of those oilseeds as a raw material for oil prohibited and the seeds must be disposed of. This means that all oilseeds which are used as the raw material for oil manufacturing have passed this strict test.
In addition to checks by the government, import trading companies cooperate to conduct independent analysis of residual pesticides by collecting representative samples for newly harvested oilseeds. Trading companies have performed these activities every year for more than 30 years. As a result, no abnormal amounts of residual pesticides have ever been detected. The results of these activities are highly acclaimed by the MHLW.
In addition to residual pesticides, plant quarantine stations also check for pests at the time of importing in order to ensure the safety of raw materials. Moreover, even assuming that pesticide residue remains in the raw materials, government research institutions have confirmed that the refining process for vegetable oil removes the residue or reduces it to acceptable levels. Still, this is nothing more than a supplementary function of the refining process. In principle, safety is ensured through checks at the raw material stage to ensure that materials exceeding the maximum residue limit do not enter the manufacturing process. We will continue to put our best effort into these activities in order to ensure safety.
The United States and Canada are main suppliers of oilseeds to Japan. Every year, periodic discussions are held with production associations and export industries in these countries. Opinions are exchanged on issues such as the type of pesticides used, the status of usage, and the residue standards in those countries. Through these discussions, Japan strives to ensure that pesticides are used appropriately in the production phase. Japan has also exchanged information with Australia, an exporter country of rapeseeds. Appropriate management of pesticides is also an important issue for production countries. Each country has established strict regulations for the use and residue of pesticides. In the United States, persons who spray pesticides (farmers or pesticide vendors) must take classes at state universities and receive a certificate that permits the use of pesticides. In addition to providing scientific knowledge on pesticides, these classes conduct education on regulatory laws and other types of specific usage methods. Then, when actually spraying pesticides, workers are required to keep and submit records of information such as the type of pesticide, amount used, and weather conditions at the time of spraying.
Similar types of strict regulations are also enforced in Canada. It seems that Japanese consumers are worried that foreign countries have lax regulations in regard to pesticides. However, please be assured that regulations in foreign countries meet or exceed the regulations enforced in Japan.
As previously discussed, after being temporarily stored in silos, oilseeds are carried by a belt conveyor to the expression and refining processes. These processes are conducted in a hermetically-sealed environment. This means that the finished product is manufactured without coming into contact with foreign substances or pathogens from the outside environment. As a result, as long as strict operation control is performed in the manufacturing process, there is no possibility of product safety being compromised.
In order to implement these strict controls, almost all plants that are members of the JOPA have acquired ISO (international standards). By operating in accordance with these standards, plants make every effort to ensure safety control for products.
Furthermore, in order to manufacture products with outstanding quality, all plants receive certification as a proper plant based on the Act on Standardization and Proper Quality Labeling of Agricultural and Forestry Products (commonly known as the JAS Act). This certification is granted to plants that have been recognized as meeting requirements for safe manufacturing and shipping of safe, high-quality edible oil that satisfies the Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS standards) defined by the JAS Act. In order to ensure that these requirements are continually and reliably satisfied, periodic on-site inspections are performed by the Japan Inspection Institute of Fats & Oils, an independent inspection agency. For details on JAS, please refer to the section entitled "Vegetable Oil and the JAS Act."
Also, for meal which is mainly used in livestock feed, the proliferation of bacteria is suppressed by preventing the adherence of airborne bacteria and by performing appropriate drying. The manufacturing and storage of livestock feed is strictly regulated by the Act on Safety Assurance and Quality Improvement of Feeds.
Our oil-manufacturing plants ceaselessly implement the controls discussed here in order to provide consumers with safe, high-quality products that can be used with peace of mind.
