Food Safety Issues Addressed by Various Nations

——Codex Alimentarius and Globalization——

Abstract

  In Japan the consumers' trust in the food safety administration and social system was crumbled miserably. What with the occurrence of BSE cases and the revelation of a series of coverup scandals, what a food labelling system ought to be also emerged as an important issue. In April 2002, the investigation and examination commission on BSE issues came up with a report in which it proposed that the “priority of consumers' health protection over everything else” and the “adoption of risk analysis” should be the basic principles of the food safety administration.
  The report also suggested setting up independent administrative organisation to conduct the “risk assessment” and “risk communication” (Cabinet Office/the Food Safety Commission), establishing a comprehensive legal system for food safety (a Food Safety Basic Law), and amending the Food Sanitation Law and other related regulations. Meanwhile, JCCU, joining forces with its member cooperatives across the nation, gathered 13,730,000 signatures to file a petition with the government for revision of the Food Sanitation Law, worked on local governments to beef up food safety measures, appealed to all political parties and groups, and approached local assemblies about adopting our petition for food safety. These efforts bore fruit by and large.
  The central government, in response to the above-mentioned activities, put bills concerning the reform of the administrative organisation and enactment of new laws. Deliberation was carried out as speedily as ever. To assure food safety, as from July 2003, new administrative organisation came into being with new laws put into operation.