The regulation of antioxidants in Japan

There are certain legal requirements and standards which cover the manufacture, processing, storage and quality of some foodstuffs.10 In general, these requirements do not cover composition in any detail except in the case of milk products. 

There exists a list of permitted additives. This list is concerned only with chemical synthetics (substances obtained by a chemical reaction other than degradation). It means that the substances on the list are those which either do not occur naturally or are not obtained from natural sources. Of the substances which are not on the list it is not always possible to decide whether these may be used in food. The antioxidants and foodstuffs in which a limited amount of antioxidant is permitted are given in Table 12.11. Only the above-mentioned foods may contain antioxidants, except -tocopherol which may be generally used in foods as an antioxidant. 

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