FAMIC has as its mission:
•To ensure the quality and safety of fertilizer, agricultural chemicals, animal feed and feed additives and soil improvement materials, and
•To improve the quality and labeling of agricultural forestry and fishery products, by conducting inspections at various stages of food chain.

As an incorporated administrative agency:
•FAMIC undertakes its tasks in line with a 5-year strategic plan developed by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
•FAMIC′s performance is evaluated annually by the Evaluation Committees of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

To improve the quality of agricultural products and to rationalize production and consumption, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, in accordance with the JAS Law, sets JAS standards for foods and wood products for quality purposes. Agricultural products that meet these standards are entitled to have a JAS label. FAMIC develops new analytical methods and validate JAS analytical methods, while JAS standards are revised.

FAMIC purchases food samples from the market for laboratory analysis to assure proper labeling of food, e.g.:
  •Geographic origin of production;
  •Types of ingredients used (species and breed varieties of animals or plants) ;
  •Proportion of ingredients used (buckwheat flour vs. wheat flour in buck wheat noodles) ;
  •Absence of genetically modified organisms.
Should any doubt arise as a result of laboratory analysis, FAMIC conducts on-site inspections of manufacturers with MAFF officials., FAMIC, for example, use simultaneous measurement of multi-element by ICP-MS or ICP-AES to verify the geographic origin of agricultural products, and DNA sequence analysis using PCR techniques to identify different species.

For development of analysis methods, FAMIC is involved in research to develop and improve methods used for analysis of food in order to identify geographic origin, different species, proportion of ingredients used, etc, in collaboration with other research institutes, such as national institutes, universities.
Today, we present three researches which are conducted by FAMIC.

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[in Japanese]

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  This research intends to present a measure to increase vegetable consumption by evaluating the difference in vegetable consumption awareness between young and middle to elderly aged groups by a questionnaire survey. Survey data was analyzed through factor and image analyses, e.g., the SD method. The result of the analysis showed that both groups were aware that vegetables are essential in diets and beneficial to health. Different responses were obtained for other parameters such as consumer benefit, image, and expectations from each group. Young respondents were less reluctant toward processed vegetables, expected results in their physical appearances, and anticipated immediate effects. On the other hand, middle to elderly aged respondents had a good image of fresh vegetables but not processed vegetables. These respondents expected health benefits and prevention of current and future diseases because of vegetable consumption. Therefore, to increase vegetable consumption, it is critical to identify measures that consider the difference in awareness between different age groups.

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  “Malt mizuame (millet jelly)” is a traditional food that has long been produced in the Minamiaizu region of Fukushima Prefecture. In the present study, we investigated the characteristics of the method used in this region for making malt mizuame and the sweet components. Following are our findings:
  In the Minamiaizu region, the unique customs of ameyobi or ameyobare are associated with malt mizuame;these customs were thought to have developed due to the mild sweetness and functionality of mizuame.
  During the saccharification process in the making of malt mizuame,steps are taken to maximize the saccharifiability of malt to starch.We identify these processes as an important way to reduce the amount of time required for saccharification.

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[in Japanese]

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  The materials to take in iodine properly from diets were created with the use of the Tables 2010. The study proved that a large amount of Iodine is taken in from soup stock made from tangle: iodine of 12,300μg in 150g of one intake of tangle as a guide. Algae as standard food in Japan contains iodine most specifically and animal food does it next to algae except for meat while vegetable food does little except for algae and processed food. Food experts can grasp and analyze the actual condition regarding amount of intake of iodine from food and diets with the tables 1 to 5 made in this study, as a result of which guidance and plan about diets can be carried out easily. These tables are expected to be utilized properly depending on the intended use.

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  The change in the radical-scavenging ability while cooking curry and rice using commercial Roux of different oil and fat contents was examined. The peroxyl radical-scavenging activities in a water-and lipo-soluble environment were measured by the azo compound-cheluminescence methods.
  In the lipo-soluble environment, the scavenging activity of Roux with a half content of oils and fats was significantly higher compared that of the standard Roux. Under both environments, the radical-scavenging activity of curry (Roux combined vegetables and meats) using Roux with a half content of oils and fats was higher than that of curry using the standard Roux. We considered that various lipo-soluble spices contained in the Roux with the half content of oils and fats were difficult to extract and not affected by heating. Curry soup using Roux with a half content of oils and fats seems to be a functional cuisine low in calories and having antioxidative ability. We present the assessment system of the antioxidative ability using the same radical and principle of detection in a water- and lipo-soluble environment, which is able to assess the ability of food and meals corresponding to their environment.

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  The purpose of this study is to examine the difference between ideal and real on dietary habits and the relationships between actual dietary habits and usual health behavior. In this study, male high-school students (N=267) zcompleted questionnaires regarding their present dietary habits, ideal dietary habits, and usual health behavior.
  The major findings were as follows: Life style of “whole family eating together” was positively associated with all factors of health behaviors.
  Overall, it was thus inferred that the custom of “whole family eating together” had a effect on a maintaining students′ health. There was a tangible difference between the actual life style of eating and ideal life style of eating except “whole family eating together”.
Key words; actual life style of eating, ideal life style of eating, health behavior, male high school students.assess the ability of food and meals corresponding to their environment.

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  To clarify the food value and physiological functions of carrot leaves, which are normally discarded, we measured the polyphenols in carrot leaves and their DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical-scavenging activity, and further studied their effect on serum lipids in rats on a high cholesterol diet.
   Carrot leaves contain protein, lipids, ash, total vitamin C and alimentary fiber at levels greater than the roots. The polyphenol contents were the highest in the boiled leaves. DPPH radical-scavenging activity was higher in the leaves than in the roots. There was no difference between any of the groups with regard to the various measured values in rat serum, but the total serum cholesterol and serum phospholipids were lower in the group receiving the leaves and roots than in the group receiving a high cholesterol diet. The ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) radical-scavenging activity showed a high value in the group receiving the roots.
   These results suggested that carrot leaves have just as much nutritional value as the roots, and since they are a food item with a physiological activity, they can be effectively used instead of being discarded.

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  We studied the effects of the egg yolk phospholipids (EggPL) with 10% added ethanol on the serum and liver lipid concentrations, and main fatty acids in the liver of rats. Rats were fed a diet containing Lard, EggPL, Lard+ethanol or EggPL+ethanol for 3 weeks.The control group was the Lard group. The concentration of serum phospholipid decreased in the EggPL group compared to the control group. The concentration of total serum cholesterol and triglyceride indicated a tendency to decrease in the EggPL group compared to the control group. The concentration of total liver cholesterol decreased in the EggPL group compared to the control group, but no significant difference was observed between the Lard+Ethanol group and the EggPL+Ethanol group. The concentrations of the liver triglyceride that decreased in the EggPL group were lower than those in the control group, and those in the EggPL+ethanol group were lower than those in the Lard+ethanol group. The concentrations of fatty acids in the liver were found to decrease in C16:0 and to increase in C18:2. These results suggested that the ethanol diets containing the EggPL appear to effectively decrease the concentration of serum and liver lipids. The egg yolk phospholipids, similar to the soybean phospholipids, were expected to prevent dyslipidemia and a fatty liver.

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  Greek culture has had an enduring influence on the West⁄Western countries. There is an abundance of studies on ancient Greek language as well as philosophy and arts. However, there is comparatively very little reported on the topic of food culture, especially those related to the traditionally celebrated annual events. Therefore, we examined the Greek Orthodox Δωδεκαη´μερο to study the celebratory food culture among the people living in urban areas and in rural provinces of Greece.
   The outcome of this study pointed out the following. In the urban areas there is a weakening of observances of traditional customs. This is likely due to diversification of life-style tends to change people′s sense of values. On the other hand, in the rural province, a traditional celebratory food,Kοτο´σουπα, has always been cooked for annual events. It became evident that food culture is influenced by the natural setting as well as by the religious environment that surround various groups of people.

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