An expert panel of the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry adopted a “healthy food” certification mark Monday for cooked meals provided by convenience stores, supermarkets and food delivery services firms.

Producers and sellers of prepared foods will be allowed to put the mark on their products if they meet newly set nutritional standards. No advance screening by authorities will be necessary to obtain the mark, according to the ministry.

The mark is a circle equally divided into three portions to indicate satisfaction of the standards for staples such as rice and bread, main ingredients, such as meat and fish, and vegetables.

For example, if a boxed meal contains rice and hamburger steak, two portions of the mark will be colored yellow and red, respectively, with the remainder left unpainted, ministry officials said.

The buyer of the boxed meal will be able to have a balanced, healthy diet if the person additionally purchases a salad pack carrying a mark with a green-colored part, they noted.Speech

06.10.2014

Source: jiji.com