Food additive databasefungicideChecked 2026-10-02
Thiabendazole チアベンダゾール
Designated additiveNot on the EU additive list
- Purpose
- fungicide
- On the label
- “防かび剤（TBZ）” (antifungal agent (TBZ)), “防かび剤（チアベンダゾール）” (antifungal agent (thiabendazole))
- Name in the List of Designated Additives
- チアベンダゾール (No. 254)
In Japan
- An antifungal agent that prevents mold on fruit after harvest. Under the standards for use, it can be used only on citrus fruits and bananas, with maximum residue levels set.
- The Food Labeling Standards require the purpose name to be written alongside, as in “防かび剤（TBZ）” (antifungal agent (TBZ)), and the short name “TBZ” can be used. Even for loose sales not in packaging, sellers are subject to guidance to display a notice at the point of sale that it was used (Attachment, Additive 1-6).
Japan's standards for use
- Specified as maximum residue levels
- Citrus fruits: 0.010 g/kg
- Bananas: 0.0030 g/kg
- Banana flesh: 0.0004 g/kg
This is a summary of the standards for use. See the source list for the exact conditions.
In the EU
- It is not on the EU list of food additives (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II), so it cannot be used as a food additive in the EU.
- It is not on the EU list of food additives. In the EU it is treated as a pesticide, and maximum residue limits (MRLs) in food have been set (Regulation 396/2005).
When it is labeled under a shared name
Thiabendazole may be declared on the label in the same way as “防かび剤（OPP・TBZ・イマザリルなど）”. See Post-harvest fungicides (OPP, TBZ, imazalil etc.) for details.
Sources
- List of Designated Additives — Japan Food Chemical Research Foundation (Japanese)
- Standards for use and storage of each additive — Japan Food Chemical Research Foundation (Japanese)
- EU food additive database (Japanese translation) — MAFF (Japanese)
- Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives — EUR-Lex
- 消費者庁「食品表示基準について」別添 添加物関係（簡略名・類別名一覧、用途名併記の例示、一括名の範囲、栄養強化の範囲ほか） (Japanese)
- 消費者庁「食品表示基準について」本体（添加物の表示） (Japanese)
- Regulation (EC) No 396/2005（食品中の農薬の残留基準） (Japanese)
Checked 2026-10-02. Rules and evaluations change over time. This page is a translation of our Japanese page; if they differ, the Japanese page is the reference.
This page lists facts stated in laws and in evaluations by public bodies; it is not a safety verdict. Additives used in Japan are approved by the government, which sets the foods and amounts they can be used in. The ADI is a guide to the amount that is considered safe to take every day over a lifetime.