Information about the Food Service License

Food

Here is what you need to know about the food service license.

Q1. For which categories of food service do I need to obtain a license from a public health center?

A license from a public health center is required for the 34 categories of food service listed below.

Operation of restaurants
Operation of coffee shops
Manufacture of sweets
Manufacture of bean jams
Manufacture of ice creams
Processing of milk
Milking and processing of special milk
Manufacture of dairy products
Collection of milk
Sale of milk
Processing of meat
Sale of meat
Manufacture of meat products
Sale of seafood
Operation of auction market for seafood
Manufacture of fish paste products
Freezing or refrigeration of foods
Radiation treatment of foods
Manufacture of soft drinks
Manufacture of lactic acid bacteria beverages
Manufacture of ice
Sale of ice
Manufacture of edible oil and fat
Manufacture of margarine or shortening
Manufacture of miso (fermented soybean paste)
Manufacture of shoyu (soy sauce)
Manufacture of sauces
Manufacture of liquors
Manufacture of tofu (bean curd)
Manufacture of natto (fermented soybeans)
Manufacture of noodles
Manufacture of delicatessen foods
Manufacture of canned or bottled foods
Manufacture of additives

Q2. How do I obtain a license?

A food service license can be obtained through the following steps:

Preliminary consultations/obtaining a license application form
Screening/acceptance of the license application form, etc.
Investigation of the facility/confirmation of completion
Granting of a license

For consultations, etc. at a public health center, please bring a person who can speak Japanese.

For preliminary consultations, please contact the staff in charge of food and sanitation at a public health center in the jurisdiction of the address where the facility to be operated is located. A food service facility is subject to common standards and category-by-category standards.

Q3. Do I need a qualification to obtain a license?

A business operator that manufactures or processes specially designated foods is required to have an exclusive food sanitation manager stationed at each facility.

Specially designated foods:
Whole milk powder (limited to products put in a can whose capacity is 1,400 grams or less), sweetened milk powder, modified milk powder, meat products, fish ham, fish sausage, irradiated food, edible oil and fat (limited to products manufactured through a process of bleaching or deodorization), margarine, shortening and additives (limited to products whose standards are specified in accordance with Article 11 Paragraph 1 of the Food Sanitation Law)
To obtain a license of other food services, it is necessary to designate a person in charge of food sanitation (food sanitation manager) at each facility or division.

Qualifications to become a food sanitation manager:
A person who is qualified as a nutritionist, cook, confectionary hygienist, globe fish processor, poultry processing sanitation manager, cook on ships and vessels, etc. is eligible to become a food sanitation manager.

A person who has completed a training program for food sanitation managers (offered by the Aichi Prefectural Government, etc.) is also eligible to become a food sanitation manager.
If no one is eligible to serve as a food sanitation manager when applying for a license, you are required to apply for a training program for food sanitation managers and take the program afterwards.

Q4. How long is a license valid?

The Aichi Prefectural Government sets the validity period of the food service license based on an assessment system.

Specifically, a field survey is conducted on the facility to be operated, the robustness of the facility and durability of the equipment are screened, and a validity period (ranging from 5 to 8 years) is set based on certain criteria when a food service license is granted.

The standards for assessing and setting a validity period of a food service license are given below.

Standard for assessing a validity period of a food service license

Assessment		Details
1	Building	Steel frame or reinforced concrete, stone, block, brick
2	Ceiling/inner wall	Concrete, mortar, tile, stainless steel or other corrosion-resistant metal
3	Structure of the ceiling	Pipes, etc. are all arranged in the back of the ceiling, and the surface of the ceiling is smooth
4	Floor/wainscoting	Concrete, mortar, tile, stainless steel or other corrosion-resistant metal
5	Structure of inner wall/floor	The inner wall and the floor are connected with a round structure When wainscots are installed, the upper part from the connection is 45 degrees or less
6	Air-conditioning equipment	Temperature control with machines
7	Cleaning/hand-washing equipment	Concrete, tile, ceramic, stainless steel or other corrosion-resistant metal The cleaning equipment has one or more hot-water supply systems
8	Storage equipment	Concrete, stone, block, brick, stainless steel or other corrosion-resistant metal
9	Refrigeration/freezing equipment	Concrete, tile, stainless steel or other corrosion-resistant metal and mechanisms
10	Equipment for manufacture, processing, cooking and sale	Concrete, tile, stainless steel or other corrosion-resistant metal
11	Water supply	Tap water in accordance with the Water Supply Law
12	Washroom	Flush type

Standard for setting a validity period

The validity period is determined based on the number of assessment items which meet the standard.

Number of assessment items which meet the standard	Validity period of license
0-5 items	5 years
6-9 items	6 years
10-11 items	7 years
12 items	8 years

Q5. What precautions should I take after obtaining a license?

The Aichi Prefectural Government stipulates measures which must be taken by food service providers to ensure public health. Food service providers are required to abide by the municipal ordinance concerning standards for food service sanitation.

Standard of measures that should be taken in terms of public health

Sanitation control at a facility to be operated, etc.
Designation of a food sanitation manager
Preparation and storage of records
Collection and disposal
Preparation of control and management procedure, etc.
Sanitation control related to food handlers, etc.
Education and training for food handlers, etc.
Sanitation control related to transportation
Sanitation control related to sale
Labeling and provision of information

Q6. How does a public health center exercise supervision and provide guidance?

Public health center staff (food sanitation supervisors) visit a food service facility on an irregular basis, and inspect the items listed on a supervision slip.
Different supervision slips are used for ordinary commercial facilities, food manufacturing facilities, and bulk cooking facilities. At the first supervision, the results are written on the slips, which are then issued to the business operators.
A supervision slip is designed to record 5 rounds of supervision results. Please keep the issued supervision slip, and present it when requested by food sanitation supervisors.

Please immediately improve any items which are judged inappropriate.

List of public health centers and branch offices in Aichi Prefecture (excluding Nagoya City, Toyohashi City, Okazaki City and Toyota City)

Inquiries about food sanitation are accepted at the public health centers (food sanitation sections) listed below.
To make an inquiry, etc. at a public health center, please bring a person who can speak Japanese.

Name of Public Health Center	Address	Telephone Number
Ichinomiya Public Health Center (Food Sanitation Section)	1-3 Kogane-machi, Ichinomiya City	0568-72-0321
Ichinomiya Public Health Center, Inazawa Branch Office (Sanitation Section)	2200-11 Tsukabata, Otsuka-cho, Inazawa City	0587-21-2251
Seto Public Health Center (Sanitation Section)	38-1 Mitsuke-cho, Seto City	0561-82-2196
Seto Public Health Center, Toyoake Branch Office (Sanitation Section)	142-20 Ishibata, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake City	0562-92-9133
Kasugai Public Health Center (Food Sanitation Section)	2-31 Kashiwai-cho, Kasugai City	0568-31-2188
Kasugai Public Health Center, Komaki Branch Office (Sanitation Section)	3-62 Horinouchi, Komaki City	0568-77-3241
Konan Public Health Center (Sanitation Section)	80 Hoteishimoyama-cho-nishi, Konan City	0587-56-2157
Shikatsu Public Health Center (Sanitation Section)	114 Nishimuramae, Shikata, Kitanagoya City	0568-23-5811
Tsushima Public Health Center (Sanitation Section)	4-50-2 Tachibana-cho, Tsushima City	0567-26-4137
Handa Public Health Center (Food Sanitation Section)	1-45-4 Deguchi-cho, Handa City	0569-21-3341
Handa Public Health Center, Mihama Branch Office (Sanitation Section)	403 Aza-Kamimaeda, Oaza-Kowa, Mihama-cho, Chita-gun	0569-82-0078
Chita Public Health Center (Sanitation Section)	88-2 Aza-Arakoato, Yawata, Chita City	0562-32-6211
Kinuura-tobu Public Health Center (Food Sanitation Section)	1-12 Ote-machi, Kariya City	0566-21-4778
Kinuura-tobu Public Health Center, Anjo Branch Office (Sanitation Section)	93 Shimokegachi, Yokoyama-cho, Anjo City	0566-75-7441
Kinuura-tobu Public Health Center, Kamo Branch Office (Sanitation Section)	1-22-1 Nishiki-cho, Toyota City	0565-31-1630
Nishio Public Health Center (Sanitation Section)	12 Shimoda, Yorizumi-cho, Nishio City	0563-56-5241
Shinshiro Public Health Center (Sanitation Section)	6-1 Aza-Nakano, Shinshiro City	0536-22-2203
Shinshiro Public Health Center, Shitara Branch Office (Sanitation Section)	28-2 Aza-Mukaigiya, Oaza-Taguchi, Shitara-cho, Kitashitara-gun	0536-62-0571
Toyokawa Public Health Center (Food Sanitation Section)	3-237 Suwa, Toyokawa City	0533-86-3188
Toyokawa Public Health Center, Gamagori Branch Office (Sanitation Section)	4-2 Hama-cho, Gamagori City	0533-69-3156
Toyokawa Public Health Center, Tahara Branch Office (Sanitation Section)	15-2 Shimohachikenya, Tahara-cho, Tahara City	0531-22-1238

For applicants in Nagoya City, please contact a public health center in your ward. For applicants in Toyohashi City, Okazaki City or Toyota City, please contact public health center in your city.