Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many British food brands (a) have been granted and (b) are awaiting geographical indication status in Japan since the Government agreed a free trade deal with that country.

The UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) entered into effect on 1 January 2021, and secured protection for 7 of the most economically valuable UK Geographical Indications (GIs) from day one.

The department is having positive discussions with the Japanese government on completing the process of registering GIs and adding them to our agreement text. We look forward to seeing progress soon, though as these discussions are live it would be inappropriate to comment on specific timescales.