Japan’s First Organic Certification for Salt Achieved – 'Trustworthy Salt for Daily Use'

On April 20, 2026, Blanc Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kasukabe City, Saitama Prefecture; Representative: Yoko Chiba) announced that it has obtained Japan's first organic certification for salt from the Organic Certification Organization (OCO). The certified products consist of the 'Tokunoshima Organic Salt' series (4 types). Additionally, the company is introducing the 'Organic Salt Certification Scheme,' which it helped formulate, as the world's first Japan-originated salt certification standard.

■ The Necessity of Certification

Traditionally crafted salts have long been cherished by consumers as 'natural' or 'pure' salts. However, the use of these terms is currently prohibited in product names, advertisements, and websites.

According to the 'Fair Competition Code for Edible Salt' (certified by the Consumer Affairs Agency and the Japan Fair Trade Commission), terms such as 'natural salt' are banned because they are deemed vague and potentially misleading regarding health benefits.

While this regulation curbs misleading labeling, it has left artisanal producers—who create salt using only natural ingredients and without chemical processing—without a common language to convey their product's value. Producers protecting traditional methods lacked means for fair evaluation, and consumers lacked grounds for informed selection.

Organic salt certification fills this void. Its essence lies in third-party verification of ingredient naturalness, production purity, and process completeness, objectively guaranteeing product reliability.

■ Building the Standard

To ensure the certification criteria and evaluation items aligned with reality, the company conducted field research, visiting salt producers across Japan to gather insights. Formulated in consultation with OCO, the 'Organic Salt Certification Scheme' targets salt made without chemical processing, recrystallization, or industrial refinement. It is built on three pillars:

▶ Naturalness of ingredients: Using only natural sources such as seawater, lake water, or rock salt, with safety inspections.
▶ Purity of method: Prohibiting chemical treatments, recrystallization, and industrial refinement, focusing on non-refined methods.
▶ Completeness of process: Defining comprehensive standards for manufacturing management, quality, environmental consideration, and traceability (tracking via lot management), ensuring overall soundness.

This system demands transparency, requiring submission of detailed documents, including source location data, inspection results for heavy metals, flowcharts, and lot management records.

■ Production Site: Tokunoshima, Kagoshima

Tokunoshima is a UNESCO World Heritage site located approximately 468 km south of Kagoshima City. The salt is derived from seawater in the brackish zones of the Isen Town Miyatobaru area, mixed with filtered spring water from the island's unique 'mélange' geological layers.

Inheriting methods practiced since the Edo period, artisans boil the seawater using firewood for about two days, followed by sun-drying for another two days. This entire process, involving no chemical substances or additives, is subject to the certification review.

■ Origin of the Project

This project began in 2024 when Hiromi Chiba, mother of Blanc's representative Yoko Chiba, encountered local salt in Isen Town after moving back to her hometown from Saitama. Moved by its exceptional taste, she remarked, 'It would be a tragedy to lose this flavor.'

Chemical analysis confirmed its unique mineral balance, leading Yoko Chiba and her colleagues to recognize the threat to artisanal salts, which had once been decimated by the salt monopoly system and are now endangered by a lack of successors. Motivated by the desire to protect these high-quality salts and others nationwide, they decided to develop the certification scheme to 'clarify trust.'