May 25, 2004

Japan Introduces Stricter Labeling For Pork
 

Japan's Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry is to introduce the labeling of pork with information from a pig's birth to its slaughter, a system already implemented for beef products since last December. The tracing labels for beef will become mandatory from December this year.

The labeling of beef was introduced in the aftermath of mad cow disease in 2001. Several recent cases, in which the country of origin of beef was misrepresented, have added to anxiety over food security.

By entering the label number at a specified Web site, consumers can get information on the pork they have bought, right down to the individual farm where the pig was raised, Yomiuri Shimbun reported Monday.