Here are the answers to commonly asked questions about Kikkoman products. If you can't find the answer to your question here, please click here to contact us.

Shelf-Life Related Questions

Storage Related Questions

Dietary Related Questions

Miscellaneous Questions

Shelf-Life Related Questions

Where are the Best By Dates located on Kikkoman products?

For our sauces, the Best By Date is printed on the neck of the glass bottle or the bottle cap. Our seasoning mixes and gold-colored packaged soup mixes have a date embossed on the side of the packets or printed across the top of the package back. Please click here to view some examples.

How are the Best By Dates written?

Our Best By Date is written as Day, Month and Year. For example, a printed Best By Date of 10MAR20 would indicate the unopened product should be used before March 10, 2020 for the best quality.

What if my product has a code instead of a Best By Date and how do I read the code?

Kikkoman started to print Best By Dates on retail supermarket items in the year 2008.

For 2-quart containers or larger, they may still have a production code printed on the container's neck instead. The code is the top (or first set) of printed numbers and letters. The three-digit number before the letters refers to the Day-of-the-Year (like the Ordinal Date or Julian Day Calendar), followed by letters that represent the year. Products manufactured in 2020 will have the letters “BX” and the letters “AW” for 2019. The letters “AT” were used for 2018, the letters “AR” for 2017 and the letters "AM" for 2016. If your Kikkoman product has any other letters, then the product was made over five years ago.

For unopened products in plastic bottles, the soy sauce should be used within two years of its production date code, and, the teriyaki marinade & sauce, rice vinegars, and other Asian sauces generally should be used within 18 months.

What is the shelf-life of Kikkoman Soup Mixes imported from Japan?

The Japanese-style soup mixes will maintain their peak quality for one year after their production date. For the Chinese-style egg flower soup mixes, it is best to use them within 18 months of its manufacturing date.

A four-digit production date code (Year-Month-Day) is printed at the bottom of the package back. The code reflects the date the mix was made. The first number refers to the last digit of the year. The second number or letter* stands for the month with the last two digits representing the day of the month. For example, a package has "4216" as the code. The "4" refers to 2014 and the "2" is for the second month of the year so it was produced on February 16, 2014.

*Please note the letter "O" is used for the month of October and "Y" represents November and "Z" is for December.

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Storage Related Questions

How long will Kikkoman sauces keep after opening?

For the best quality, we recommend using the sauces within one month of opening.

Do I need to refrigerate my opened bottle of soy sauce?

Once opened, the soy sauce will start to lose its freshness and the flavor will begin to change. By refrigerating the sauce, the flavor and quality will remain at their peak for a longer period. As long as no water or other ingredients have been added to the soy sauce, it would not spoil if it had not been refrigerated.

Do my other Kikkoman products also need to be refrigerated?

The flavor of our other sauces will decline much quicker than our soy sauce. So they should be refrigerated after opening to preserve their quality.

What about rice vinegars? Should I refrigerate them after opening?

To preserve the quality and freshness of Kikkoman Rice Vinegar and Seasoned Rice Vinegar longer, we suggest refrigerating them after opening as well.

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Dietary Related Questions

Does Kikkoman make gluten-free sauces?

Yes. Kikkoman produces a Gluten-Free Soy Sauce. Brewed in Singapore, this product is made of water, soybeans, rice and salt. It has the same flavor-enhancing qualities and premium flavor as our regular soy sauce, but with slightly more sweetness. This product is certified as gluten-free (less than 10ppm) by the Gluten Free Certification Organization (GFCO).

We also have a Gluten-Free Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce, which is made with our Gluten-Free Soy Sauce and contains no wheat. This sauce meets the FDA’s proposed guidelines for a gluten-free declaration (less than 20ppm). To find stores that carry these products, please try our Product Locator.

Is there any alcohol in Kikkoman Soy Sauces?

Kikkoman Soy Sauces contain greater than 2% alcohol by volume. The alcohol is not added, but is a result of the fermentation process. Like wine or beer, our soy sauces are brewed and they are made from wheat, soybeans, salt and water. During fermentation, the wheat starches are broken down to sugars and part of the sugar is changed into alcohol.

Do Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauces contain alcohol?

Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauces have a small amount of alcohol since they are all made with naturally brewed Kikkoman Soy Sauce. Kikkoman Soy Sauce is a fermented product like beer and is made from wheat, soybeans, salt and water. During the fermentation process, the wheat starches are broken down to sugars and part of the sugar is changed into alcohol. Also, some of our teriyaki sauces have wine or mirin (rice wine) as an ingredient.

Are any of the Kikkoman products certified Kosher?

The following Kikkoman products are certified Kosher by the Orthodox Union:

Kikkoman Soy Sauce

Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce

Kikkoman Soy Sauce with Lime

Kikkoman Sushi & Sashimi Soy Sauce

Kikkoman Gluten-Free Soy Sauce

Kikkoman Gluten-Free Tamari Soy Sauce

Kikkoman 50% Less Sodium Gluten-Free Tamari Soy Sauce

Kikkoman Gluten-Free Sweet Soy Sauce for Rice

Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce

Kikkoman Roasted Garlic Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce

Kikkoman Gluten-Free Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce

Kikkoman 50% Less Sodium Gluten-Free Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce

Kikkoman Gluten-Free Hoisin Sauce

Kikkoman Gluten-Free Sweet Chili Sauce

Kikkoman Gluten-Free Kung Pao Sauce

Kikkoman Orange Sauce (No Preservatives Added)

Kikkoman Gluten-Free Vegetarian Oyster Flavored Sauce

Kikkoman Sesame Oil

Kikkoman Gluten-Free Poke Sauce

Kikkoman Sweet Soy Glaze

Kikkoman Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce

Kikkoman Sriracha Mayo

Kikkoman Wasabi Sauce

Kikkoman Unagi Sushi Sauce

Kikkoman Rice Vinegar

Kikkoman Seasoned Rice Vinegar

Kikkoman Panko Japanese Style Bread Crumbs

Kikkoman Whole Wheat Panko Japanese Style Bread Crumbs

Kikkoman Gluten-Free Panko Japanese Style Bread Crumbs

Kikkoman Kara-Áge Soy-Ginger Seasoned Coating Mix

Kikkoman Extra Crispy Tempura Batter Mix (OU-D)

Kikkoman Thai Style Chili Sauce

PEARL® Organic Soymilk Original

PEARL® Organic Soymilk Creamy Vanilla

PEARL® Organic Soymilk Chocolate

PEARL® Organic Soymilk Unsweetened

PEARL® Organic Soymilk Coffee (OU-D)

PEARL® Organic Soymilk Green Tea (OU-D)

PEARL® Organic Soymilk Smart Original (OU-D)

PEARL® Organic Soymilk Smart Creamy Vanilla (OU-D)

PEARL® Organic Soymilk Smart Chocolate (OU-D)

Is there an allergen list for Kikkoman products?

Please click here for a chart of Kikkoman products containing sesame, corn, mustard and any of the top eight allergens in Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA).

Kikkoman Soy Sauces do not list peanuts or tree nuts as ingredients, but are there any nuts at the manufacturing plant?

The all-purpose Kikkoman Soy Sauce and the Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce are brewed at the Kikkoman Foods, Inc. plant in Walworth, WI where there are no peanuts or tree nuts ingredients. Please check the back of your label to see where the product was made.

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Miscellaneous Questions

My favorite Kikkoman product isn’t sold at my store and I can’t find it through your Product Locator. Could I order it from you?

Selected Kikkoman specialty products, such as Steak Sauce, Marinade Mix for Meat, Teriyaki Takumi Collection Sauces and Seasoning Mixes, are sold through our Online Store. Please click here to find out more about this service.

What is Kikkoman's policy on animal testing?

Please click HERE for more information about our corporate policy on animal testing.

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