On 11 June 2024, Japan's agriculture ministry instructed supermarket operator Lopia to correct food-labeling violations found during an inspection. Eighteen confectionery and prepared-food products repacked in stores omitted required information, including raw-material origins and ingredients.
From at least April 2020 through July 2023, Lopia sold 645,994 affected packs at 74 stores. A chocolate-and-walnut scone omitted that its flour was domestically manufactured, while fried rice crackers omitted an ingredient. The longest-running violations continued for about three years and three months.
The ministry required Lopia to inspect labels on every food it sold, correct products before sale, clarify responsibility, add cross-checks, train directors and employees, and report its corrective measures by 11 July 2024.
Japan's agriculture ministry ordered Lopia to fix labeling after 645,994 packs sold across 74 stores; the chain had to inspect every label and add cross-checks.
Store-repacked foods were treated as if dividing an existing product reduced the labeling obligations, even though consumers still needed full origin and ingredient information.
Label data could be entered incorrectly without an effective second check against the source product and statutory requirements.
Responsibility for food-label compliance was diffuse across 74 stores, allowing the same control gap to persist for more than three years.
Repacking does not reset a product's compliance duties. Carry source data into every new label, assign one accountable owner and block sale until a second check passes.
The ministry ordered Lopia to inspect all food labels, strengthen mutual checks, educate executives and staff, prevent recurrence and file a remediation report within one month.
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