In food and supplement imports, the single thing that most affects lead time in practice is the food import notification. It is the arrangement of this notification and any inspection — rather than customs clearance itself — that determines how many days are needed. Here is the structure of the system and the mechanisms available to shorten it.
Commercial imports carry a notification obligation
Under Article 27 of the Food Sanitation Act, importing for commercial purposes food, food additives, apparatus, containers and packaging, or toys for infants requires a food import notification to be submitted to the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare prior to the import declaration. The receiving office is not customs but the quarantine station.
The procedure runs broadly as follows.
- Gather documents: ingredient lists, manufacturing process charts, additive usage
- Confirm compliance with the Food Sanitation Act
- Prepare the notification
- Submit it to the quarantine station
- Undergo review, and inspection where required
What stalls is almost always step 1
What holds things up in practice is not filling in the form but obtaining the documents. The overseas manufacturer has to provide an accurate breakdown of ingredients and additive quantities, and with a factory unaccustomed to exporting, this stage alone can take weeks.
If an additive not permitted in Japan is present, the product cannot be imported at all. That is why ingredients should be verified before shipping is arranged.
Two schemes that shorten the timeline
Advance notification
For all food items, notifications are accepted from seven days before the scheduled arrival of the cargo. Except where inspection is required, the notification certificate is issued before arrival or promptly after the goods are moved in. Compared with waiting for arrival before starting, this shortens the storage period.
Planned import scheme
Where specific food items are imported repeatedly, submitting an import plan at the outset and passing review allows the per-shipment notification to be omitted for a set period. If you will be sourcing the same product on an ongoing basis, the earlier you switch to planned import, the more it pays off.
The Food Sanitation Act is not the only law involved
More than one law applies to food imports. Depending on the item, the following overlap.
- Food Sanitation Act (MHLW) — hygienic safety
- Plant Protection Act (MAFF) — plants and their processed products
- Act on Domestic Animal Infectious Diseases Control (MAFF) — items containing livestock products
- Customs Act (MOF, Customs) — clearance procedures generally
With health foods and supplements, certain ingredients may fall under pharmaceutical ingredients, in which case the product cannot be imported as a food at all. The earlier the classification is determined, the smaller the loss.
Rather than choosing a product and then researching the rules, choose from among products that pass the rules. The longer you keep importing, the more this ordering matters.
We handle everything from small-lot spot purchasing to ongoing orders, and are glad to advise from the stage of “can this product enter Japan at all”.
Primary sources referenced
- Outline of the food import notification and how to submit it: Japan (JETRO)
- Schemes to simplify and expedite food import notification: Japan (JETRO)
- How to file a notification (MHLW Quarantine Station)
※ This article summarises the outline of the system. Individual determinations rest with the competent quarantine station. Please confirm current primary sources when acting on any specific case.
