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The Japanese food authorities have been actively deliberating food regulatory matters regarding how to better use new technologies to diversify protein sources for consumers. 

The Japanese food authorities have been actively deliberating food regulatory matters regarding how to better use new technologies to diversify protein sources for consumers. 

Alternative protein products, such as cell-based meat, are gaining attention given their unique advantages of offering additional sources of protein in the diet and their ability to promote a more sustainable food system. Supported by the Japanese Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), a public-private partnership known as Food Tech Research Group was established in 2020 to develop strategies and policies regarding emerging food technologies; to no surprise, cell-based meat is on their agenda.

Currently, Japan has not promulgated any new food regulations or standards that explicitly address a regulatory framework for cell-based meat. However, the existing food legislation has stipulated some general requirements that are likely to apply. For instance, Article 3 of the Japanese Food Sanitation Act requires that a food business operator shall take necessary measures to ensure the safety of the food for sale for human consumption. 

Article 7 further states that articles that have “not generally been served for human consumption” and “have not been proven to involve no risk to human health” or “articles including those articles having newly come to be sold or are going to be sold as food,” may be prohibited from being sold as foods by the Minister of