Reading Onigiri and Convenience-Store Labels
The ingredients list on onigiri and other convenience-store food can reveal fish extract, pork, wheat and alcohol. How the list is ordered, what the slash means, and what labels can't tell you.
Label basics
On the back of the packet there is a box with the name, ingredients (原材料名), quantity, use-by date, manufacturer and more. The ingredients list shows what the food is made from, as a rule in order of weight, heaviest first.
According to the Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA), additives are shown separately from ingredients, in one of three ways.
| Style | How to spot additives |
|---|---|
| Slash | Everything after "/" |
| Line break | Everything after the line break |
| Separate field | A separate row labeled 添加物 (additives) |
Ingredients made of several items, such as mayonnaise, list their contents in brackets, for example "マヨネーズ(食用植物油脂、卵黄、醸造酢…)" (mayonnaise: vegetable oil, egg yolk, vinegar…). Allergens appear either in brackets, as in "生クリーム(乳成分を含む)" (cream, contains milk), or together at the end as "(一部に〜を含む)" (partly contains…).
A worked example
This is a made-up label for illustration only. It is not a real product.
原材料名:ご飯(国産米)、ツナマヨネーズ(まぐろ油漬け、マヨネーズ、しょうゆ)、のり、食塩/調味料(アミノ酸等)、(一部に卵・小麦・大豆を含む)
| Word | What it tells you | Who should care |
|---|---|---|
| まぐろ油漬け (tuna in oil) | Contains fish | Vegans, vegetarians |
| マヨネーズ (mayonnaise) | Often contains egg. Here the label says "contains egg" | Vegans, egg allergy |
| しょうゆ (soy sauce) | Often contains wheat. Here the label says "contains wheat". Some soy sauce has added alcohol | Gluten-free, alcohol-free |
| 調味料(アミノ酸等) | A collective additive name. The source is not shown | Anyone who cares about the source |
Even if the filling isn't fish, sauces, mayonnaise or dashi may contain animal ingredients.
Words to look for
| Japanese | Reading | English | Relevant diets |
|---|---|---|---|
| かつお節・かつおエキス | katsuobushi / katsuo ekisu | Bonito flakes / extract | Vegan, vegetarian |
| 煮干し | niboshi | Dried sardines | Vegan, vegetarian |
| 魚介エキス | gyokai ekisu | Seafood extract | Vegan, vegetarian |
| 豚肉 | butaniku | Pork | Halal, vegan, vegetarian |
| ポークエキス | pooku ekisu | Pork extract | Halal, vegan, vegetarian |
| ラード | raado | Lard | Halal, vegan, vegetarian |
| ゼラチン | zerachin | Gelatin | Halal, vegan, vegetarian |
| 小麦・小麦粉 | komugi / komugiko | Wheat / wheat flour | Gluten-free |
| 大麦 | omugi | Barley | Gluten-free |
| しょうゆ | shoyu | Soy sauce | Gluten-free, halal |
| 酒精 | shusei | Ethyl alcohol | Halal |
| みりん | mirin | Mirin | Halal |
| 清酒・料理酒 | seishu / ryorishu | Sake / cooking sake | Halal |
For a longer list, see our article “Japanese Words to Find on Food Labels”.
What labels don't show
According to the CAA, additives such as emulsifiers (乳化剤), flavorings (香料) and seasonings (調味料) may be listed under a collective name covering several substances. These names don't tell you whether the source is animal or plant.
Additives that come in with an ingredient and remain only in amounts too small to have an effect in the final food (carry-over) also don't have to be listed. The CAA's example is rice crackers seasoned with soy sauce that contained a preservative.
If the label can't answer your question, contact the manufacturer or seller named in the label box. The CAA also advises asking the company responsible for the label about additives shown under collective names.
Tips for convenience stores
- Food made in-store and sold without packaging does not have to carry allergen labels. Ask the staff
- Ingredients can change even when the product name stays the same. Read the label every time
- This site does not declare any specific product vegan or halal. Check what the manufacturer officially states
Sources
Details can change. Please check with the restaurant before you go. If you have allergies or a medical condition, follow your doctor's advice. Religious rulings are left to certification bodies and to you.
