Japan steps up rice flour, agrifood tech investment to access new business opportunities
Japan has announced a JPY115.5tn (US$780.07 billion) budget for FY2025, a 2.6% increase year-on-year. Within this, JPY2.27tn (US$15.33 billion) has been allocated specifically for local agrifood advancement, to be split across some 94 different national initiatives.
Amongst these, there was a clear motivation to develop new business directions for the local food industry in addition to ensuring food supply safety and security, including for the nation’s most widely-consumed staple food – rice.
Meat measures: Japan to form national consortium to streamline domestic market
Japan has announced that it will be investing JPY1.2bn (US$) out of the JPY115.5tn (US$) budget approved for FY2025 into the modernisation and reorganisation of the local meat industry, including the formation of a national consortium to manage this.
This is to improve the distribution structure of the meat industry and further improve productivity for export expansion, Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said via a formal statement on Budget 2025.
Japan urges food firms to improve waste management and reporting in new draft regulations
A key feature in new draft regulations is for all food businesses to make better use of food waste as opposed to simply throwing it away.
“All food businesses should endeavour to provide any unutilised food products and all edible ingredients to members of the public that are unable to access sufficient food and in need of this, whether due to poverty, disasters or other reasons,” Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) said in a formal statement.
Kewpie looks to apply elderly-friendly food development expertise from Japan to China market
Japan’s Kewpie hopes to apply the expertise it has developed in producing elderly friendly foods in Japan to the China market in light of the latter’s rapidly increasing elderly population size.
Japan currently has the largest ageing population inAsia, but data shows that China’s massive population, as well as its previous one-child policy, mean that it is set to take the number one spot in this regard not far into the future.
Japanese firm launches madeleines made from thinned apples and upcycled cacao husks
Japan’s GOOD NATURE MARKET has launched madeleines made using materials that are commonly discarded, including thinned apples and upcycled cacao husks.
The Thinned Apple Madeleines are a new addition to its GOOD CACAO series, a range of products made using upcycled cacao husks that are often overlooked as a by-product of the chocolate-making process.