Oct 30, 2026Action required

Japan orders inspection of every import lot of Chinese okra and simple processed okra for mepiquat chloride

Summary: Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has ordered inspections under Article 26(3) of the Food Sanitation Act (食品衛生法) for Chinese okra and its simply processed products. Quarantine monitoring found mepiquat chloride, a plant growth regulator, in Chinese okra, and three recent shipments exceeded the 0.01 ppm standard at 0.04 to 0.24 ppm. The notice says the health risk is not immediate, but the importers must now test every lot at each import declaration.
Who is affected: Importers of Chinese okra and simply processed Chinese okra products, such as frozen okra
What to do: Importers must have every import declaration lot of Chinese okra and its simply processed products tested for mepiquat chloride (inspection order under Article 26(3) of the Food Sanitation Act). Shipments already found in violation (held in full at the quarantine stations in Fukuoka, Osaka and Tokyo) remain under hold.
Deadline: Not stated in the original
Original title (Japanese): 輸入食品に対する検査命令の実施（中国産おくら、その加工品）
Issued by: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW)

Summarized and translated by AI. The original Japanese text is authoritative. Sources: the websites of each Japanese government body (see the original link for each notice). Summarized and translated into English by AI by Japan Regulation Watch under the Public Data License (Version 1.0) of the Government of Japan. This is not an official translation and was not created by the government.