Why the Nutrition Label Determines Quality in Wagashi Production
原料メーカーから受け取る規格書（成分表・原料仕様書）は、製品の安全性と品質を守る要です。
As mandatory allergy labeling advances, accurately grasping detailed raw-material information has become an unavoidable issue for producers. The nutrition label condenses not only nutritional values but also allergen information and the presence or absence of additives—all the information needed for product making.
However, correctly reading a nutrition label filled with technical terms requires a certain level of knowledge. A wrong interpretation can lead to a decline in product quality or an allergy incident. In this article, we introduce practical know-how for accurately reading the nutrition labels of wagashi raw materials and putting them to use in quality control.
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How to Correctly Read the Nutrition Facts
栄養成分表示は、100g、100ml、1食分、1包装などの単位あたりの含有量で記載されています。
Understanding the Five Basic Items
食品表示法で義務付けられている基本5項目は、熱量（エネルギー）、たんぱく質、脂質、炭水化物、食塩相当量です。和菓子の場合、炭水化物の割合が高く、その内訳として糖質と食物繊維が表示されることもあります。表示する値は、対象製品の分析値か、原料データからの計算値など合理的な推定で得た値を根拠にします。推定で得た値を使う場合は、その旨を表示に添えます。
100gあたりか1個あたりかを先に揃える
When looking at a nutrition label, the most important thing to watch is the unit of measure. "Per 100g" and "per piece" mean very different things numerically. When comparing multiple raw materials, you must always convert to the same unit before judging. You should also watch for differences in moisture content, since a dried product and a semi-dried product have different effective nutritional values even at the same weight.
How to Use It in Product Design
Nutritional values feed directly into a product's recipe design. In adjusting the sugar level of an or determining the amount of fat and oil used, accurately grasping the raw materials' values makes it possible to achieve the target nutritional balance. Especially with growing health consciousness, checking the nutrition label at the raw-material selection stage has become important in developing wagashi with added value such as low sugar or reduced salt.
Checking and Managing Allergen Labeling
Allergen management is one of the most critical issues in wagashi production.
特定原材料9品目と推奨20品目
食品表示基準では、えび、カシューナッツ、かに、くるみ、小麦、そば、卵、乳、落花生（ピーナッツ）の9品目を特定原材料として表示が義務付けられています。2026年4月1日施行の改正でカシューナッツが追加されました（経過措置は2028年3月31日まで）。さらに、大豆、やまいも、ごま、ゼラチンなど20品目が推奨表示対象となっています。和菓子では特に、卵、乳、小麦、大豆、やまいもが頻繁に使用されるため、これらの確認は必須です。
The Importance of Cross-Contamination Information
Even if not used as a raw material, if the production line handles products containing other allergens, there is a possibility of trace contamination. Nutrition labels sometimes carry a note such as "produced in a facility that also handles foods containing ○○," and overlooking this information can lead to a serious incident. Management is needed from both sides: confirming with the raw-material maker and taking cross-contamination measures in one's own production process.
The Practical Workflow of Allergen Management
実際の管理では、原料受入時の成分表確認、製造記録への転記、製品ラベルへの反映という一連の流れを確立することが大切です。特に複数の原料を組み合わせる場合、すべての原料のアレルゲン情報を統合して最終製品の表示を作成します。定期的な原料仕様書の更新確認も忘れてはなりません。原料メーカーが配合を変更する場合があるため、最新情報を受け取れる体制を整えておきます。
How to Read Raw Material Labeling
Raw materials are listed in order of the amount used, from most to least.
Reading Blend Ratios from the Order of Listing
Once you understand the principle that the raw material listed first is used in the greatest amount, a product's characteristics come into view. For example, if it reads "sugar, nama-an, wheat flour," you can tell it is a sweet, sugar-dominant formulation. In the case of compound raw materials, further details are listed in parentheses, showing the breakdown in a form such as "tsubu-an (sugar, adzuki beans, reduced starch syrup, agar)."
Distinguishing Additives from Processing Aids
原材料表示では、食品添加物を原材料と明確に区分して記載します（「／」で区切る、改行する、別欄にするなどの方法があります）。膨脹剤、乳化剤、pH調整剤、着色料などが該当し、これらは製品の食感や保存性、見た目を調整するために使用されます。一方、加工助剤として使用され最終製品に残らない物質は表示義務がありません。和菓子では比較的添加物の使用が少ない傾向にありますが、日持ちを延ばす製品では保存料や酸化防止剤が使用されることもあります。
Responding to Raw Material Country-of-Origin Labeling
国内で製造・加工した加工食品では、原則として重量割合1位の原材料の原産地を表示します。表示方法や例外は食品表示基準の個別ルールを確認してください。和菓子の場合、小豆や栗などの主要原料の産地情報が重要になります。「国産」「中国製造」といった表記から、原料の調達先を把握し、品質管理やコスト管理に活かすことができます。
Practical Use in Quality Control
The information on a nutrition label feeds directly into day-to-day quality control.
Lot Management and Variation in Values
同じ原料でも、製造ロットによって成分値にばらつきが生じることがあります。特に天然原料では、収穫時期や産地によって糖度や水分含有量が変わります。定期的な抜き取り検査で実測値を確認し、成分表の数値と大きな乖離がないかを確かめます。変動が大きい場合は、配合の微調整や製造条件の見直しが必要になります。
The Basis Data for Setting Best-Before Dates
The moisture value and fat content on a nutrition label are important factors in setting the best-before date. The higher a product's water activity, the higher the risk of microbial growth, and products high in fat are more prone to quality deterioration from oxidation. When conducting storage tests, you can set the test conditions based on the nutrition label data and determine a best-before date grounded in scientific evidence.
The Foundation for Ensuring Traceability
In the unlikely event of a product recall or quality trouble, linking the raw material's nutrition label with production records makes it possible to quickly identify the cause of the problem. By keeping a copy of the nutrition label for each raw material and recording the lot number used and production date, traceability is ensured. This is the basis of food safety management and an indispensable effort for protecting consumer trust.
Summary: Make the Nutrition Label an Ally in Quality Control
The nutrition label of a wagashi raw material is not merely a string of numbers.
Accurately reading nutritional values, thoroughly checking allergen information, understanding raw material labeling, and putting them to practical use in quality control. All of these form the foundation of safe, high-quality wagashi making. By developing the ability to correctly read a nutrition label, you broaden the scope of product development and can prevent trouble before it occurs.
日々の業務の中で成分表と向き合い、疑問点があれば原料メーカーに確認する習慣をつけましょう。
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美濃与は京都に拠点を置く京菓子原材料の専門商社です。本記事で取り上げた原料の業務用調達や、お試しサンプル、ロット・規格のご相談など、和菓子製造の現場に寄り添った提案を行っています。
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