Japan – Export requirements for meat and poultry products

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• Eligible/ineligible product
• Pre-export approvals by competent authority of importing country
• Production controls and inspection requirements
  • Imported meat products
  • Beef products (Canadian)
  • Poultry meat
  • Rabbit meat
  • Natural casings
  • Pig uteri
  • Cured meat products
  • Organs and tissues
  • Personal consignments of non-ruminant meat products
• Labelling, marking and packaging requirements
• Documentation requirements

Eligible/ineligible product

Eligible

• Beef products
  • Beef refers to bone-in and boneless beef derived from cattle of all age at the time of slaughter, including fresh and/or frozen muscle cuts, trimmings, offal, ground beef, processed beef and other edible products derived from the carcass and products derived therefrom, but excluding ineligible tissues
  • Processed beef (Ready to Eat and Non- Ready to Eat) will include products such as pate, heated products, extract and other processed products
  • stomach (scalded or unscalded)
  • intestines (small or large)
• Pork products
  • stomach (scalded or unscalded)
  • intestines (small or large)
  • non-gravid uteri from gilts
• Horse meat products
  • fresh/frozen horse meat and offal including fresh/frozen or scalded intestines
• Poultry
• Rabbit meat derived from rabbits born and raised in Canada
• Organs and tissues
  • hearts
  • livers
  • kidneys
  • Achilles tendon
  • ligamentum nuchae
• Artificial casings, including bovine collagen casings
• Cured meat products

Ineligible

• Irradiated meat

• Meat products derived from ruminants other than cattle, such as Cervidae and bison

  Note: Japan has made an exemption for Personal consignments of non-ruminant meat products.

• Beef products
  • tonsils and distal ileum from cattle of all ages
  • head (excluding tongue and cheek meat)
  • spinal cord and vertebral column (excluding vertebrae of the tail, the spinous and transverse processes of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar vertebrae and the median sacral crest and wings of the sacrum) from cattle older than 30 months of age (OTM) at time of slaughter
• Natural casings derived from bovines, sheep and goats originating from:
  • Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America
• Imported meat products
  • raw beef and/or lamb from Uruguay
  • raw beef and/or beef products from Argentina
  • beef, sheep, and goat meat and meat products from Brazil

Pre-export approvals by competent authority of importing country

Establishments

• All establishments under federal inspection are considered as being eligible to export meat products to Japan with the exception of establishments that receive raw meat products, including animal casings, from countries not eligible to export such products to Japan due to animal health restrictions

  Note: Beef producing establishments and casing handling facilities (see below) are subject to additional requirements.

• Refer to Annex 1 - List of establishments approved to export to Japan for the list of approved casing handling facilities and beef producing establishments
• In case the establishment name and number do not appear on the list, exporters are advised to contact the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) area or regional office
• Canadian registered slaughtering or processing establishments become non-eligible to export meat products derived from cloven-hoofed animals to Japan if they receive or otherwise handle:
  • raw beef and/or lamb from Uruguay
  • raw beef and/or beef products from Argentina
  • and, beef, sheep, and goat meat and meat products from Brazil
• The operators of these establishments are responsible to inform the CFIA inspector when they receive ineligible products from Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil, and based on this information the CFIA will add this establishment to Annex D - List of establishments not eligible to export meat products derived from cloven-hoofed animals (1) to Japan
• An establishment may be removed from Annex D - List of establishments not eligible to export meat products derived from cloven-hoofed animals (1) to Japan, when the operator of the establishment is able to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the CFIA, that handling or receiving of ineligible products from Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil has been discontinued
• The CFIA inspector will complete the required Compliance Verification System (CVS) tasks and submit, an application to remove establishment from Annex D, and Annex I - Application for establishment approval to the CFIA
• Based on this information a letter will be sent to Japan and Annex D will be modified after receiving approval from Japan

Beef producing establishments

• Establishments must be operating in compliance with Canadian requirements and additional Japanese requirements outlined in Annex F - Additional requirements for establishments eligible to export beef products to Japan
• Applications for approval must include Annex I - Application for establishment approval and Annex H - Verification checklist - Beef products
• Once the application is recommended by the Area Operations Specialist (AOS), FIED will add the establishment to Annex 1, establishment can start production for Japan as of the recommendation date
• As soon as Annex 1 is published on the external website, FIED will inform the Japanese authorities

  Note: Periodic on-site inspections of approved establishments may be conducted by Japanese officials to verify their compliance with applicable requirements

Establishments preparing meat products in casings destined to Japan

• For approval purposes, the Japanese animal health authorities require to be notified of the name, address and registration number of Canadian establishments handling natural casings derived from bovine, sheep and goat and that are exporting products in casings to Japan, for example, sausage manufacturing establishments
• In order to obtain approval, controls on the origin of natural casings derived from bovines, sheep and goats must be implemented to satisfy the Japanese requirements
• In the case of such casings being supplied by another Canadian establishment, the supplier must appear on the list of casing handling establishments approved by Japan (see Annex 1 - List of establishments approved to export to Japan)
• Requests for approval should be submitted using Annex I - Application for establishment approval
• See the section on Natural casings below under Production controls and inspection requirements for more information

Establishments exporting natural casings to Japan

• For approval purposes, the Japanese animal health authorities require to be notified of the name, address and registration number of Canadian establishments interested in exporting natural casings derived from pigs or ruminants to Japan
• Conditions for approval are as follows:
  • establishment must implement controls on the origin of natural casings handled in the facility in accordance with the Japanese requirements

  • in the case of imported natural casings, this includes obtaining additional certification from the authorities of the exporting country that specifies the countries and certifies that the animals from which the casings are derived were born and raised in that country, and that the casings are eligible for export to Japan

    Example: the certification could state "The casings are derived from animals which have been born and raised in (name of the country) and are eligible for export to Japan."

• In the case of such casings being supplied by another Canadian establishment, the supplier must appear on the list of casing handling establishments approved by Japan (see Annex 1 - List of establishments approved to export to Japan)

• Requests for approval should be submitted using Annex I - Application for establishment approval

  Note: As of July 5, 2010, no establishments are listed in Annex 1.

• See the section on Natural casings below under production controls and inspection requirements for more information

Production controls and inspection requirements

Imported meat products

• The operator is responsible for maintaining records on cloven-hoofed animals imported for slaughter at the establishment. The records shall be kept for at least 2 years. CFIA veterinarian and/or inspector-in-charge should keep a copy of the import certificate of animals imported for immediate slaughter for 2 years
• When imported meat products are handled in the establishment where meat products are destined to Japan, the operator is responsible to develop and implement procedures to ensure that the Japanese requirements are met
• The procedures must be monitored on an ongoing basis
• The operator is responsible for maintaining:
  • inventory and production records (country/zone - as applicable)
  • species
  • quantity
  • date of entry/processing/shipping of imported products brought to the establishments
  • and, for keeping these records for a period of 2 years
• Production records for products of Canadian origin must be kept for 2 years as well. The procedures developed by the operator must be reviewed and accepted by the CFIA veterinarian and/or inspector-in-charge
• Periodic verifications of compliance with specific Japanese requirements must be conducted by the CFIA veterinarian and/or inspector-in-charge
• When the exporting establishment fails to meet the applicable requirements, corrective action needs to be taken or steps should be taken to remove the establishment from Annex 1 - List of establishments approved to export to Japan

Meat products from the United States

• Meat products (pork and poultry) imported from the United States may be used in the manufacture of meat products destined for Japan
• Beef products derived from cattle of all ages at time of slaughter, and legally imported from the United States to be raised in Canada or imported into Canada for direct slaughter are eligible for export
• Imported meat products are not allowed to be used as an ingredient in meat products destined for Japan unless the Official Meat Inspection Certificate issued by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides the following information and declarations, as applicable:
  • • "The meat and/or meat products described herein were processed under sanitary conditions in accordance with laws and regulations of the USDA
    • The laws and regulations of the USDA have been deemed to be equivalent to the inspection laws of Japan"
  • name, address and establishment number of the slaughterhouse and processing plant
  • date of slaughter and processing, as applicable (a range of days is acceptable)

  • in the case of pork the following declaration is required:

    "The United States is free of hog cholera; vaccination against hog cholera is prohibited; and, importation of pigs vaccinated against hog cholera is prohibited

  • in the case of poultry meat the following declaration is required:

    "There has been no outbreak of fowl pest (fowl plague) for at least 90 days in the United States. Further, in the area where birds for export meat were produced (such an area being within a minimum radius of 50 kilometres from the production farm) Newcastle disease, fowl cholera, or other such serious infectious fowl diseases as recognized by the government of the United States have not occurred for at least 90 days"

Meat products from other countries

• • Beef products derived from cattle legally imported from third free countries (see The Third Free Countries List) or specified eligible countries (see The eligible countries for export beef, sheep meat etc. to Japan in Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) affected countries) to be raised in Canada, or imported into Canada for direct slaughter, are eligible for export
  • Age restrictions and SRM removal conditions imposed by Japan on direct beef export to Japan from that country apply. The area operations export specialist must be contacted for guidance in such cases.
• Imported beef products are not allowed to be used as an ingredient in meat products destined for Japan unless the Official Meat Inspection Certificate issued by the competent authorities of the country of origin provide the following information and declarations, as applicable:
  • • "The meat and/or meat products described herein were processed under sanitary conditions in accordance with laws and regulations of __________ (name of the competent authority)
    • The laws and regulations of __________ (name of the competent authority) have been deemed to be equivalent to the inspection laws of Japan"
  • "The meat is eligible for direct export to Japan and originates from establishments approved by the Japanese authorities for export of beef products to Japan"
  • name, address and establishment number of the slaughterhouse and processing plant
  • date of slaughter and processing, as applicable (a range of days is acceptable)
• Meat products derived from cloven-hoofed animals, from establishments that receive ineligible products from Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil, must not be present in establishments that wish to keep their privileges to export meat products derived from cloven-hoofed animals to Japan
• Raw beef and/or lamb from Uruguay, raw beef and beef products from Argentina, and beef, sheep and goat meat and meat products from Brazil may be received and stored in storage facilities provided they are stored separately from products derived from cloven hoofed animals destined for export
• The separation would include: separate stacking of the packaged products not in contact with eligible packaged products; and, clear identification of the ineligible product with respect to its origin and export restrictions
• The CFIA inspector-in-charge of the cold store will monitor the operator's control procedures to verify that the storage of non-eligible meat products is being done in the prescribed manner
• Inventory records must be maintained by all operators regarding the origin of the beef present in the establishment and the destination of the meat products derived from beef shipped from the establishment
• These records should be made available to the CFIA inspector-in-charge upon request

Beef products (Canadian)

• Operators of approved beef establishments are responsible to ensure implementation of requirements outlined in Annex F - Additional requirements for establishments eligible to export beef products to Japan
• • Beef products must be derived from animals born and raised in Canada or legally imported into Canada from a country eligible to export beef and beef products to Japan
  • This would include animals imported for immediate slaughter as well as those born in a country eligible to export to Japan and raised in Canada for feeding purposes

• The exported beef products may include eligible beef that was directly and legally imported into Canada from a country eligible to export beef and beef products to Japan

  Note: The United States is a country eligible to export beef and beef products to Japan.

• Beef products derived from cattle of all ages and born and raised only in Canada are eligible for export
• Japan does not allow the use of sodium metasilicate, sodium persulfate or calcium oxide as ingredients in stomach and beef tripe scalding compounds
• Sodium gluconate may be used
• An operator wishing to carry out rinsing of carcasses or meat cuts with ethanol must develop, implement and maintain a program that includes the following elements:
  • demonstrate that ethanol has been produced by fermentation and purification
  • demonstrate that the ethanol is not of synthetic origin and is of human consumption quality (see Food Chemicals Codex Specifications, US Pharmacopeia)
  • the quantity used and/or the area sprayed
  • contact time
  • application steps
  • the treatment of meat after application of ethanol (packaging)
  • inspection on receipt and during use (quantity received and used)
  • all meat products that have been treated with ethanol must be labelled 'For export only'

Poultry meat

• In the area where birds destined for meat export are produced (such an area being within a minimum radius of 50 kilometers from the production farm), Newcastle disease, fowl cholera and other poultry infectious diseases designated by the competent authority of Canada must not occurred for at least 90 days

Rabbit meat

• Rabbit meat must be derived from animals which were kept in farms where no case of rabbit haemorrhagic disease was reported for 60 days prior to transportation to slaughterhouses
• Rabbit meat must be free from any animal infectious diseases including myxomatosis, tularemia and rabbit haemorrhagic disease as a result of ante-mortem and post-mortem inspections conducted by official CFIA inspectors in approved establishments

Natural casings

• The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) prohibits the use of natural casings derived from bovines, even when originating from a Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) free country, in the preparation of sausages destined for the Japanese market
• Natural casings derived from bovines, sheep and goats handled at the establishment must not originate from the following countries (excluded by Japan as countries of origin of natural ruminant casings): Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America
• For establishments preparing meat products in casings destined for Japan, natural casings derived from bovine, sheep and goats handled at an approved facility must only originate from a country that has not reported any indigenous cases of BSE
• All European Union countries and Brazil are excluded as country of origin for such casings. Australia and New Zealand are approved to export such casings to Canada and to Japan
• Import certificates should be kept on file to demonstrate the origin of the natural casings derived for bovines, sheep and goats used at the establishment
• Inventory records must be maintained by operators regarding the origin of the natural casings derived from bovines, sheep and goat present in the establishment
• These records should be made available to the CFIA inspector upon request

Pig uteri

• Uteri which show enlargement or hyperemia from physiological or pathological processes on visual inspection or palpation shall be rejected
• Uteri found satisfactory for export shall be drained, chilled, packed and frozen
• Freezing without prior chilling is not acceptable

Cured meat products

• This section is for information purposes only. Exporters and/or importers are responsible to ensure that applicable Japanese requirements are met when exporting prepared meat products
• It is permitted to export cured meat products to Japan. Curing may be followed by smoking and/or drying. See criteria below

Raw meat

• Raw meat must be handled in a sanitary manner to minimize bacterial loads
• The pH of the raw meat must be below 6.0
• During preparation, following initial carcass chilling, the temperature of the raw meat shall not exceed 10°C

Curing methods and procedures

• For dry curing, 6% or more of salt (NaCI) and 200 ppm of sodium nitrite (NaNO₂) shall be added, by weight ratio, to the raw meat
• For pickle curing, by immersion or by pumping, the pickle must contain 15% or more NaCI and 200 or more ppm NaNO₂. In the case of immersion pickling, the raw meat must be completely covered
• Any combination of the above methods is permitted (see the section on finished products below)
• During curing the meat shall be kept at a temperature of 5°C or less
• The meat shall be cured to rapidly achieve a water activity (Aw) below 0.96
• For desalting, if necessary, cured meat may be desalted in continuously changing potable water, the temperature of which is not to exceed 5°C

Smoking and/or drying

• Cured meat is to be smoked and/or dried at a temperature below 20°C or above 50°C. The cured meat shall be smoked and/or dried until at an Aw below 0.94

Finished products

• Cured meat products must be free of coliforms and have an Aw of 0.96 or less and be maintained at a temperature of 5°C or less
• Smoked or dried cured meat products must be free of coliforms and have an Aw below 0.94 and be maintained at a temperature of 10°C or less
• Fully dried cured meat products not requiring refrigerated storage must be free of coliforms and have an Aw of 0.86 or less. The level of residual nitrite (NO₂) must not exceed 70 ppm

Preservatives in processed meat products

• In addition to nitrites, the use of erythorbic acid and sodium erythorbate is permitted
• Japan permits the use of sorbic acid and potassium sorbate up to 2000 ppm

Note: The sale of a preserved meat product containing sorbic acid or potassium sorbate or both is prohibited in Canada.

Processed meat products

• It is the manufacturer's and/or exporter's responsibility to ensure that recipes and labels of processed meat products meet the Japanese applicable requirements
• All processing aids/flavours and/or food additives and/or food preservatives must be authorized by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) and applicable requirements of the Food Sanitation Law must be applied

Organs and tissues

• Small and large intestines derived from pork and beef may be exported as edible meat products to Japan
• They must be thoroughly washed, preferably with chilled running water; scalding is not mandatory
• Achilles tendons and ligamenta nuchae may be prepared as edible products for export to Japan
• Fresh/frozen horse meat and offal are eligible for import into Japan including fresh/frozen or scalded horse intestines

Personal consignments of non-ruminant meat products

• Japan has made an exemption for imports of non-ruminant meat products by tourists, when the meat is intended for their personal consumption, in that the normal certification is not required if the following requirements are met in full:
  1. the product must enter Japan as it was packaged at the time of preparation in a federally inspected establishment
  2. the package must be labelled to include the name of the product, the name and address of the packer or distributor, the statement of the quantity of contents and the official Canada Inspection Legend including the official establishment number

  3. the label must bear the following statement immediately below the product name:
     "The meat contained herein is for personal use only and not for sale. It is derived from animals that received ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection and were found sound and healthy and have been inspected and passed as provided by the Safe Food for Canadians Act and regulations."

     For your information, the following is an example of the label:

     

     Description of the meat information label

     The package must be labelled to include the name of the product, the name and address of the packer or distributor, the statement of the quantity of contents and the official Inspection Legend including the official establishment number.

     The following information is on the label:

     • Canada Inspection Legend
     • Establishment number
     • Name of the product
     • The declaration:
       "The meat contained herein is for personal use only and not for sale. It is derived from animals that received ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection and were found sound and healthy and has been inspected and passed as provided by the Safe Food for Canadians Act and regulations"
     • Packed by:
     • Address:
     • Net weight:

  4. the required labelling must be applied to the carton by a printed adhesive label that will tear if removed, and must be so placed on the carton that the label would be destroyed if the package is opened between the time of packaging at the producing establishment and the time of inspection at the Japanese port of entry
  5. unless otherwise informed by the Japanese authorities the maximum weight permitted for such a tourist package for personal consumption would be 22.5 kg

  Note: It is not necessary for the exporter to accompany the goods.

Labelling, marking and packaging requirements

• Mandatory labelling requirements of prepackaged meat products. The importer is responsible by law to meet the Japanese applicable requirements. Labelling according to these requirements could be done either in Canada or in Japan at the discretion of the importer
• Exported meat transported through third countries shall be put in a container sealed with an official CFIA seal

Documentation requirements

Certificate

• Certificate of Inspection Covering Meat Products (CFIA/ACIA 1454)
• Annex A: Sanitary Health Certificate (Red Meat) – Japan (CFIA/ACIA 1482)
  • In addition to CFIA/ACIA 1454, Annex A shall be issued for each shipment of red meat, including horse meat
  • The original copy of this certificate shall accompany the original copy of CFIA/ACIA 1454

  • In the case of pork, the following declaration must appear in the space for additional certification of CFIA/ACIA 1454:

    "Canada is free from hog cholera, vaccination against hog cholera is prohibited in Canada and the importation of live swine and fresh pork from a hog cholera-infected country and from countries vaccinating against hog cholera is prohibited in Canada."

• Annex B: Sanitary Health Certificate (Poultry) – Japan (CFIA/ACIA 4367)
  • In addition to CFIA/ACIA 1454, Annex B and Annex K (see below) shall be issued for each shipment of poultry meat
  • The original annexes shall accompany the original CFIA/ACIA 1454

  Notes

  • • In case of an outbreak of notifiable avian influenza (NAI), Annex K-1 (see below) shall be issued instead of Annex K
    • Annex K-1 is issued in addition to CFIA/ACIA 1454 and Annex B
  • • For meat products containing red meat and poultry meat CFIA/ACIA 1454 and Annex A shall be issued for each shipment
    • The applicable animal health declarations should be included. Form CFIA/ACIA 1454 shall also have the following endorsement in the box additional certification:
    • "The meat described herein was derived from poultry which have been examined and found by ante-mortem and post-mortem veterinary inspection to be free from diseases designated by laws of Japan and suitable in every way for human consumption in Canada. The meat was handled in a sanitary manner only in accordance with Canadian laws and regulations."
    • In cases where insufficient space is available, the additional attestations should be provided on separate CFIA letterhead with a reference to the number of the corresponding certificate CFIA/ACIA 1454.
  • • Meat products from game animals are subject to the same certification procedures as outlined under Annex A and Annex B as applicable
• Annex C: Addendum to Certificate CFIA/ACIA 1454 – Certificate for beef and beef products destined to Japan
  • Issued for beef products derived from animals slaughtered and processed on or after May 17, 2019 under the updated cattle under 30 months of age (UTM) and cattle over 30 months of age (OTM) program
• Annex D: Certification in relation to Japanese requirements for pork
  • Issued in addition to the following export certificates, as necessary:
    • Certificate of Inspection Covering Meat Products (CFIA/ACIA 1454)
    • Certificate of Inspection Covering Meat and Poultry Products (CFIA/ACIA 5733)
    • Certificate of Inspection Covering Meat and Poultry Meat Products (CFIA/ACIA 4159)
    • Veterinary certificate for frozen pork meat and pork meat products, exported from Canada to the Russian Federation (CFIA/ACIA 5555)
• Annex E: Addendum to Form CFIA/ACIA 1454 for casings and products manufactured using casings^Footnote 1
  • Annex E-1: Addendum to Form CFIA/ACIA 1454 for natural ruminant casings
  • Annex E-2: Addendum to Form CFIA/ACIA 1454 for natural pig casings

  Note: In the case of meat products exported in natural casing to Japan, in addition to applicable certificates mentioned above, Annex E, E-1 and E-2 must be issued as follows:

  1. • for natural ruminant (excluding bovine) casings, Annex E and E-1 must be issued.
     • Japan does not allow import of natural bovine casings
  2. for natural pig casings, Annex E and E-2 must be issued
• Annex J: Addendum to Form CFIA/ACIA 1454 Certificate of Inspection Covering Meat Products with reference to rabbit meat products
  • Annex J - Transfer certificate for meat products must also be issued
    It is the responsibility of the slaughterhouse operator to ensure that supporting documentation is obtained from the supplier of the rabbits to permit endorsement of the following statement:
    "The rabbit meat contained in this shipment is derived from rabbits born and raised in Canada"
  • These supporting documents, for example a producer or breeder's affidavit, or a flock sheet, are to be kept on file at the slaughterhouse and must be made available to the CFIA inspector before an export is authorized
• Annex K: Addendum to Form CFIA/ACIA 1454 Certificate of Inspection Covering Meat Products with reference to poultry meat products.
  • Annex K-1: Addendum to Form CFIA/ACIA 1454 Certificate of Inspection Covering Meat Products with reference to poultry meat products exported during an outbreak of notifiable avian influenza (NAI) in Canada