Japan: Rice Flour Standards and Labeling Guidelines Established

In an effort to encourage production diversion from table rice, Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) has been incentivizing production of rice for flour. However, Japanese consumption of rice flour has remained flat at roughly 20,000 MT (rice equivalent) per year. One of the issues deterring increased consumption is reportedly quality inconsistencies (such as moisture content) of the flour due to the use of numerous rice varieties and manufacturing methods. To expand rice flour use, MAFF released “Rice Flour Standards by Use.” Additionally, to capture a potential growth in demand for gluten-free foods, MAFF also released “Labelling Guidelines to Promote Rice Flour Products” to set a standard for labeling non- glutinous rice flour and rice flour products. 

Japan: Rice Flour Standards and Labeling Guidelines Established