Japanese food gaining attention overseas

"Washoku" (Japanese cuisine) has been registered as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO.There are expected to be as many as 160,000 Japanese restaurants overseas in 2021. Japanese food and ingredients are becoming very popular overseas.
The food and beverage industry has suffered serious damage during the COVID-19 pandemic, but food for home use, delivery, and e-commerce sites is on the rise in every country.

Major regulations to be aware of when exporting food

In order to ensure the health and safety of the nation's people, food exports are subject to many strict regulations and must be checked in advance. Two of these are CODEX and HACCP.

CODEX

CODEX is a global food standard established by the Food Codex Commission.
There are two types of food standards established by the Food Standards Commission: standards for agricultural and livestock products from the production stage to when they reach the consumer's table, and standards for food quality.

HACCP

HACCP was originally devised to ensure the safety of space food for NASA in the United States, and was also published by the Food Standards Commission.
It has been mandatory in Japan since June 2020, and by obtaining HACCP certification you can demonstrate safety according to international standards.

Current status of Japanese food exports

In 2019, the total value of Japan's food, agricultural, forestry and fishery exports was 912.1 billion yen, approaching 1 trillion yen. This marks the seventh consecutive year since 2012 that the exports have broken previous records.

Main export destinations

The top five major food export destinations are Hong Kong, China, the United States, Taiwan, and South Korea, with most of the food exported to neighboring Asian countries.

Main items

The main items are agricultural products in 1st place, marine products in 2nd place, and forest products in 3rd place. Looking at the detailed items, agricultural products occupy the top positions, including processed foods made from agricultural products in 1st place.

Food export process and necessary procedures

The process for exporting food and the necessary procedures are as follows:

Market Research

If you are considering exporting food, you need to not only select a sales channel for your exports, but also research which foods are being sold and at what price range.
Check the websites of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and JETRO. It may also be a good idea to research local information by attending events and exhibitions.

Trade planning

Formulate a plan for the food you want to export. Determine the destination country and target customer group. Make a specific plan for the export time, quarantine procedures, transportation method, price, quantity, etc. Don't forget to register the trademark of the export destination.

Main procedures before export

Exports can be carried out smoothly by assigning a person in-house who will be responsible for trade affairs, establishing a production system that can handle export plans, and utilizing importers, wholesalers, and other parties at the export destination as business partners.

If you want to start food exports, try "DigiTrad"

This time, we have brought you basic knowledge such as the process of food export and necessary procedures.

STANDAGE uses its own trade cloud service to provide "Digitrad", a service that can "completely" handle trade for small and medium-sized enterprises. "Digitrad" allows you to develop overseas sales channels at low cost thanks to the application of IT introduction subsidies. We can also handle small-scale, low-value trade and domestic purchases that cannot be done by large trading companies, so please feel free to contact us.

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