Japan Focus: Base Food, Sapporo and Coca-Cola Japan feature in our round-up
‘Nutritional noodles’: Japan’s Base Food makes Stateside statement of intent with first launch
Japan food tech company, Base Food is launching its first product, its ‘nutritionally-balanced’ Base Noodles, in the West Coast of the United States.
The product is billed as nutritionally balanced noodles that provide up to one-third of the daily nutrients, in accordance with dietary guidelines established by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) in Japan.
The company said it strives to develop nutritional staple foods that fulfil taste and health needs, along with ease of consumption. It also sells Base Bread, and Base Pasta in Japan.
Shelf life boost for beer: Sapporo extends expiry dates in bid to reduce food waste
Sapporo Breweries will extend the best-before period for its beer and quasi-beer products from the existing nine months to 12 months.
The changes will be applied to 21 of its products made in or after March 2020.
For products manufactured in March 2020, the expiration date will be February 2021.
Responding to queries from FoodNavigator-Asia, the firm said the move was to reduce food waste throughout the supply chain.
Food waste is a global issue, including Japan, and urgent measures are needed. The firm said the amount of food waste per capita in Japan was estimated at 51kg per year, and domestic food loss (edible portion) exceeded 64 million tons per year.
Plant power: Higher plant protein intake associated with lower risk of death - Japan population study
Higher plant protein intake has been associated with lower total and CVD-related mortality, according to researchers in Japan.
They also found that substituting animal protein for plant protein was linked with a lower risk of total, cancer-related, and CVD-related mortality.
The findings were published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
In short-term trials, consumption of high-protein diets have been shown to produce weight loss, fat loss, and preservation of lean mass compared with normal-protein diets.
Caffeine kick: Coca-Cola Japan revitalises popular Georgia Coffee range
Coca-Cola Japan is looking to revitalise its popular ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee range Georgia Coffee with two products that have wholly different focuses: Georgia Emerald Mountain Blend Premium and Georgia Grand Bito.
“Both of these blends are sold in Japan only, under Georgia [which] is a very big brand – [we have various series of] products to meet all consumer needs, [whether it be] by generation, gender, working style, etc.,” Coca-Cola Japan Public Affairs & Communications Brand PR Manager Taeko Ohuchi told FoodNavigator-Asia.
The Georgia Emerald Mountain Blend Premium is made from ‘rare Emerald Mountain beans’ certified by the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia, and is claimed to present a balanced ‘depth x sweetness’ taste.
According to the Georgia Coffee Japan website, only a maximum of 3% of coffee beans harvested in Colombia are certified as ‘Emerald Mountain’ luxury beans.
Not all carbohydrates are bad: Higher intake of starch reduces mortality in Japanese men
A high intake of starch has been found to reduce mortality, while a high intake of sugar has the opposite effect in Japanese men.
According to researchers from Japan, there was no significant association between any type of carbohydrates and mortality for Japanese women.
They presented their findings in the British Journal of Nutrition, examining the association of different types of carbohydrates, including starch, and total sugar, on mortality in a population-based cohort.
