Space Food

Certification Process

Every applicant should first conduct preliminary inspections and tests of a proposed product (or proposed products). Applicant should send application documents for certification to the secretariat for Japanese space foods at JAXA, including a document presenting all the results of the preliminary inspections and tests. Proposed products will be examined and satisfactory products will be certified as Japanese space foods. JAXA will issue certificates for such products in favor of the applicants.

Below is an outline of the certification process, from application to issuance of certificate.

Outline of Certification Process

1. Applicants should read the Japanese space food certification standard publicized on the appropriate page of JAXA's website.
2. Applicants for Japanese space food certification should first contact for consultation the secretariat for Japanese space foods. At the consultation, the secretariat will inform them of the "criteria for applicability", "flow of procedures until certification" and "information to be provided in the application documents". Applicants may be requested to present product sample(s) at the consultation. Without preliminary consultation, application documents might be rejected.
3. Applicants and manufacturers of proposed product(s) can check the compatibility of their product(s) with the warmer and the hot water pouring pot (both of which will be lent to applicants) at their own facility.
4. Applicants should prepare and submit to the secretariat their primary examination documents (application form and documents concerning methods and conditions of preservativeness test).
5. Applicants who have passed the primary examination and/or the manufacturer of the product(s) should conduct the specified inspections/tests and prepare/submit to the secretariat their secondary examination documents.
6. JAXA can conduct on-site inspections when necessary in the course of the document examination, sample check and secondary examination.
7. A Japanese space food certificate will be issued to each of the applicants whose products have been accepted as Japanese space foods in accordance with the Japanese space food certification standard.