Production revolution: Japan seeks to modernise dairy and beef sectors via new five-year policy
Supply chain resilience and facility upgrades are at the heart of a new Japanese plan so modernise the dairy and beef sectors.
Japan’s agrifood sector has faced many challenges in the past few years, ranging from multiple natural disasters to consistent pushbacks in making its way up from the bottom of the global food self-sufficiency list.
According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), beef and dairy makes up around 42% of Japan’s total agri-food output, dwarfing rice (16%) and vegetables (24%), making the advancement of this sector a top priority.
“The beef and dairy sectors are very important, converting raw milk and raw beef into high-quality protein products for consumers to consume,” MAFF said via a formal statement.
Ajinomoto’s protein ice cream blends nutrition and indulgence
Ajinomoto has partnered Solein to create protein-enriched ice cream targeting consumers that value nutrition, health and sustainability in their indulgences.
Japanese food manufacturer Ajinomoto is best-known for its work with amino acid-based products like monosodium glutamate (MSG), but the firm has expanded into the better-for-you space with its ‘conscious brand’ Atlr.72.
The firm’s first protein-enriched ice cream range has been dubbed Atlr.72 Flowering Ice Cream and is for sale only in Singapore, as this is the only market in the world where Solein has been approved for sale as a novel food product.
Pricing pains: Japan government to set system for food price hikes
The Japanese government will establish a mechanism for food price hikes in an attempt to the limit the backlash when cost increases are passed on to consumers.
Japan, like many other markets worldwide, has felt the impacts of rising production and logistic costs in recent years, further compounded by inflationary pressures and poor currency exchange rates.
The government has found that these more of these rises in costs will be passed on to consumers this year, so has announced that a mechanism to control these hikes will be introduced.
“The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) will support efforts to establish a mechanism to determine food prices locally, in order to ensure the smooth process of passing on cost increases to final product price hikes,” MAFF said via a formal statement.
“These cost increases will be from the processes of food production, manufacturing and distribution, as a direct result of increases in raw material costs, energy costs and more.
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 in Asia, 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.
“Japan’s overall population size reached its peak in 2008, after which it was the elderly population size that grew rapidly – the same is happening in China, which saw a peak in 2021 but decrease starting in 2022, along with an increase in the elderly demographic,” Kewpie China General Manager of Health Care, Business Department Sato Kenji told FoodNavigator-Asia.
Japan’s new Basic Plan for Food: 4 takeaways for global food brands
Here are four key insights global food firms need to know about Japan’s new Basic Plan for Food and its impact on regional food trade.
The country’s revision of its Basic Plan for Food under the larger Basic Law for Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas will impact the country’s food and agriculture trade for the next two decades.
Japan is one of the largest food importers in the region due to its low food self-sufficiency rate and large ageing population. This also makes it a significant player in terms of regional and global food trade, so this new major policy change is likely to have major implications for many markets.
Japan looks to tighten mineral water safety standards with focus on ‘forever chemicals’
The Japanese government is setting permitted levels of so-called ‘forever chemicals’ in mineral water, with standards set to mirror those of tap water.
The Ministry of Environment has decided to regulate PFOS and PFOA under local drinking water quality standards, and at present tap water already has an established standard where PFOS and PFOA content combined may be no more than 50ng/L or 0.00005mg/L of water to be allowed in the food system.
Mineral waters are commonly consumed as an alternative to tap water in Japan, therefore it is proposed that the PFOS and PFOA content limit in mineral water be the same as that for tap water moving forth, and that this is included in the regulatory standards for drinking water.
The agency added that this is unlikely to affect the processing and manufacturing operations of companies producing mineral water, as a recent government survey showed that most existing products are already in compliance with these levels anyway.
Suntory exclusive: New APAC VP reveals plans for 2025 growth
Suntory Global Spirit’s new APAC commercial VP has revealed his major plans to boost business growth in the region.
Alcoholic beverages major Suntory Global Spirits established a new division in APAC dubbed the commercial excellence team, led by VP, commercial excellence for APAC, Bruce Song.
In an exclusive interview, Song highlighted that the new team’s imperative will be twofold: Covering the acceleration of business growth in APAC, as well as enhancing engagement with consumers here.
“Our commercial excellence agenda is key to fulfilling Suntory’s ambition of becoming the World’s Most Admired Premium Spirits Company – It’s an exciting remit and I’m delighted to be leading it,” he says.
The team’s specific tasks will include collaborating with local commercial and marketing teams to drive ‘excellent execution’ in both on-trade and off-trade scenarios.
Japan steps up rice flour, agrifood tech investment to access new business opportunities
The Japanese government will be pouring investments into rice flour and food tech, in an effort to create more new business opportunities at home and abroad.
Japan has announced a JPY115.5tn (US$) budget for FY2025, a 2.6% increase year-on-year. Within this, JPY2.27tn (US$) 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.
Japan springboards 2025 international food trade initiatives with Australia agreement, GI successes
Japan has made a roaring start to its plans for international food trade in 2025 with the announcement of a new collaboration with Australia as well as six new successful Geographical Indications (GI) registrations.
The East Asian nation has long been on the quest to boost its international trade and particularly food export routes, having previously set a JPY5tn goal to hit by 2030, but hit various snags along the way in 2024 including the China ban on its seafood linked to its Fukushima wastewater release project.
Japan has remained vocal and persistent about its food export goals, and has renewed this focus with the recent announcement of a new national level agreement with Australia to develop both nations’ food chains.
Asahi bets on alcohol-led growth in 2025 despite H1 profits decline
Asahi is confident that positive alcohol trends will drive profitability for it this year, and has revised its full-year profit forecast upwards despite a half-year dip.
Japanese beverage heavyweight Asahi recently announced its H1FY2025 financial results, reporting a 0.6% year-on-year growth in revenue to JPY1.36tn (US$9.25bn) but a -3.2% year-on-year decline in core operating profits to JPY 109.7bn (US$746.2m).
But despite the drop in half-year profits, Asahi has made the incongruent move of revising its forecast for full-year profits upwards, attributing this move to the current and predicted positive movements in the Japanese alcohol category.
