*The department names, titles, and job descriptions of the employees listed here are as of the time of the interview.
In July 2023, the Nichirei Group pivoted from its former ideal of creating new value in food and health to the new ideal of discovering the potential of materials and cooling power to contribute to the future of the Earth and people’s mental and physical health through food. We then reviewed Group measures and KPIs accordingly.
Committed to health, we will contribute to wellness by enhancing the development of nutritionally responsible products while supporting mental health, which encompasses emotional and social health. We are also working for the future of the global environment by minimizing negative impacts and deploying cutting-edge technology and conserving resources in stepping up initiatives with positive impacts.
●Taking on New Challenges beyond Our Current Domains of Food and Health to Create New Markets and Value for Customers
Due to factors including changes in work styles, advances made by women in the workplace and the development of a super-aging society, the need to reduce meal preparation time at home is growing among Japanese consumers. Likewise, needs are rising for meals that take health factors into account, such as nutritional balance and food allergies. Many consumers are finding it difficult to plan daily menus because of these issues. To help resolve them, in August 2021 Nichirei entered the AI-based menu proposal service business by acquiring all the shares of me:new, a startup that operates an automatic menu generator app of the same name, and created a new business by integrating me:new’s services with the conomeal kitchen app and services Nichirei developed in-house. The me:new app creates up to a week’s worth of menus. Mainly geared toward families with young children, it suggests recipes that parents and children can eat together, as well as allergy-friendly recipes. Needs for such services are rising in the BtoB as well as the BtoC market. Going forward, we will work to provide new value in the form of a data service business based on our research into food preferences and deliciousness.
Nichirei Foods has articulated a new brand statement. It incorporates the essence of our aim to achieve a better world of sharing by providing health value with an emphasis on deliciousness and making full use of the benefits of freezing in areas such as shelf life that helps to reduce food loss. “FoodJoy” refers to the delight that frozen foods bring, while “Equity” means fairness for all from offering value tailored to each individual—or in other words, sharing.
Moreover, to make the statement a reality, we are pursuing business activities that increase four kinds of value for sharing. By doing so, we will evolve the business so that not only consumers, but everyone we interact with and society as a whole, can enjoy the convenience of freezing.
Nichirei Foods conducts research and development of meat products with enhanced health value. By giving chickens, pigs and cattle* a formula feed with the ingredient flaxseed, which contains the nutrient -linolenic acid, the company has developed tender and juicy meat abundant in this nutrient. This meat is sold as the Amani-no-Megumi series.
In addition, Nichirei Foods has begun full-scale sales of Gomanten, a new meat product with health value containing sesamin, a functional ingredient derived from sesame that is not normally found in meat. This is the result of adding sesame to pig feed.
Nichirei Foods will continue to support health management and balanced diets through meat products for everyday meals.
*There are individual differences among cattle.
We will step up our initiatives for nutrition to help resolve the health problem of the double threat of concurrent overnutrition and undernutrition. Initiatives will include participation in the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s Strategic Initiative for a Healthy and Sustainable Food Environment with the aim of being able to set targets that ensure intake in recommended amounts while avoiding excessive intake of substances of concern.
In research into the body’s high rate of absorption of vitamin C from acerola, Nichirei Foods analyzed the effects of acerola powder and acerola juice on gut microbiota. Our analysis showed that when human gut microbiota were supplied with acerola powder or acerola juice, there was an increase not only in beneficial enteric bacteria such as Lactobacillus bifidus but also metabolites such as acetic acid and butyric acid, which are known to be good for the body. We will delve deeper into these results and conduct even more sophisticated research. With this, we expect to be able to further clarify mechanisms and utilize the results in new research and development and product development. Food enriches people’s lives and by approaching food from a scientific perspective, we aim to realize a healthier society.
In 2014, Nichirei Biosciences became the first Japanese company to manufacture and sell “companion diagnostics”, which are used to select treatments and drugs eligible for each patient with cancer in terms of their physical condition and pathology.
Furthermore, immune system-related technologies that we have developed so far are contributing to the advancement of personalized medicine that enables the selection of treatments and drugs that are highly effective and have few side effects.
Histofine ALK iAEP® KitNichirei Biosciences is promoting the uptake in Japan of a specialized diagnostic agent for a genetic testing device developed by its partner Biocartis Group NV. In 2022 and 2023, we obtained approval to manufacture and sell two in-vitro diagnostics that use this specialized agent as companion diagnostic agents for molecular targeted therapies for colorectal cancer. This groundbreaking technology allows the medical institution where a patient is examined to conduct genetic testing for cancer, which was largely outsourced in the past. By shortening turnaround time on test results, we will provide new value in cancer treatment.
To carry out its Mission to “Spreading Happiness through Food into the Future," the Nichirei Group leverages its strengths—its capabilities as a food pioneer, its capabilities in food processing, production technology and temperature-controlled logistics services, and its comprehensive Group capabilities—in businesses that take advantage of these characteristics. We view intellectual property as an asset for growth that adds value to these business activities and helps to increase our corporate value. In addition to developing technologies that give us a competitive advantage, we conduct intellectual property management that includes the acquisition, utilization and protection of patents, trademarks and other rights that are linked to our business activities.
The Nichirei Group acquires, utilizes and protects patents, trademarks and other rights linked to its business activities. Specifically, we strive to ensure customer safety and security and protect our brand value through measures including acquiring patents to protect our proprietary technologies and build market entry barriers, as well as by obtaining trademark rights for product names and package designs in Japan and overseas and taking rigorous actions against imitations and unauthorized use of our brands. In addition, to instill an understanding of the importance of intellectual property, we also provide intellectual property education within the Company, including e-learning for all employees and information sharing via our portal site.
The Nichirei Group conducts intellectual property activities based on the following basic policies in order to smoothly
advance the expansion of existing businesses and entry into new businesses.
●Basic Policies
| Acquisition of intellectual property rights to ensure business advantage |
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|---|---|
| Respect for the intellectual property rights of others |
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| Provision of intellectual property information that contributes to business and development |
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●Promotion of IP Landscape Initiatives
●Protect the development and brand power of long-selling products
The Company has many long-selling products. In order to support sustainable sales, the Company acquires intellectual property rights as necessary to protect its technology and brand power. For example, we have acquired a number of intellectual property rights to protect our Honkaku-Itame Chahan (fried rice), which has been No.1 in sales in the frozen prepared fried rice market for 24 consecutive years. As for patents, we file patent applications in line with technological development so that we can continuously retain patent rights. In particular, the Company has obtained multiple patents for its three-step stir-frying process, which is one of our strengths, to ensure the competitiveness of its own technology. We are strengthening brand protection by acquiring trademark rights in a variety of areas, including letters, product logos, packaging, and characters.
Honkaku-Itame Chahan (fried rice)
ITAMEKUN
●Contribute to new businesses by acquiring strategic intellectual property rights
It is important for new businesses to acquire intellectual property rights more strategically. The Company is working to acquire strong rights that can contribute to the success of its business. Miraikura, an artificial salmon roe, has started to be sold in refrigerated form. We succeeded in freezing it by taking advantage of the Nichirei Group's refrigeration technology. With an awareness of restraining competitors, we apply for patents that extend to not only frozen products but also refrigerated products so that we can keep a competitive advantage in the market. In order to obtain strong patents that can contribute to our business, we propose additional experiments from the perspective of intellectual property and focus on efforts to obtain supplemental data in development site.
Miraikura
Nichirei Foods Inc. delivers delicious products to the world through mutual collaboration and repeated trial and error in research and development, product development, and equipment development.
Example in the Food Business Development of Frozen Hiyashi-Chuka
●Leveraging Technological and Product Development Capabilities Built Over Many Years
Hisashi Okumura
Group Leader, Product Development
Management Group
Product Development Department
Food Research Institute
Nichirei Foods Inc.
Before we developed this product, hiyashi-chuka (chilled Chinese noodles) was available in the refrigerated food section of stores but not in the frozen food section. We thought we could provide new value if hiyashi-chuka could be kept in the freezer and prepared simply by microwaving. However, there was no such thing as frozen hiyashi-chuka—no other company had yet launched such a product. The appeal of frozen foods is their ease of preparation in a microwave. If the time and trouble of chilling the noodles in water had to be added to the preparation process, there would be no point in selling the product as frozen food. The clue to balancing convenience with chilling was in a technology we patented about 15 years ago.
In 2008, Nichirei Foods obtained a patent for a technology in which noodles, sauce and ice are combined in a bag, heated in a microwave, and then mixed together. Ice is resistant to microwaves, so it does not melt easily when heated in a microwave oven. Therefore, when noodles and ice are microwaved together, only the noodles heat up, and the remaining ice cools them down afterward. However, the noodles would end up soaking in the sauce for an extended period in the bag, compromising both appearance and texture by the time the product reached the customer, so the product was not commercialized at that time. This time, development centered on two points: putting the noodles on a tray instead of in a bag, and putting the sauce in its own package to keep it separate. The initial trial did not result in improved appearance or texture, and we worried that we would never be able to commercialize the product. We repeatedly revised and tested every element, such as the size and amount of ice, the shape of the tray and the amount of sauce, and gradually worked our way toward a delicious product. For example, we intentionally adjusted the size of the ice so that some would remain frozen after microwaving, and then melt during the process of mixing the sauce with the noodles. For the sauce, we developed a formulation that resisted freezing just enough to make it easy to pour directly from the package.
In this way, Nichirei Foods was able to perfect a new method for preparing chilled food in a microwave oven, a first in the market, leveraging the technological and product development know-how it has accumulated over many years. We will continue to deploy our technological capabilities and the development know-how we have cultivated to create products that contribute to good eating habits.
Example in the Food Business Recreation of Freshly-made Deliciousness
In general, when delicatessen and chilled products are put on a dining table, time has passed since they are freshly prepared. On the other hand, we believe that frozen foods can reproduce freshly-made deliciousness by combining their strength of maintaining freshness with the Company’s research and development capabilities and production technologies. We believe that we can reproduce freshly made deliciousness by comprehensively assembling four key quality factors at a high level, that are aroma, juiciness, texture, and variation of taste.
●A system for continuously producing valuable products for consumers
In order to continue producing products that are accepted by consumers, it is necessary to have a structured development system rather than fortuitous factors. Nichirei Foods’ research and development has four characteristics to continuously produce original technologies.
①Setting targeted quality
At the start of development, targeted quality (benchmark) is thoroughly discussed by the planning, marketing and product development divisions.By setting goals, we are able to pursue deliciousness, improve development efficiency, and objectively reproduce quality.
②Objective assessment
We observe the internal structure of food products and quantify aroma to pursue various quantifications depending on the products. By combining data from these physical and chemical analyses with data from sensory evaluations, we aim to visualize and then reproduce deliciousness.
③Three R&D functions work together
Centered on the Nichirei Group Technology Development Center, the three functions of research and development, product development, and engineering (equipment development and production innovation) are working in coordination. In this way, close collaboration between software and hardware aspects leads to the realization of the desired deliciousness.
④Data utilization
Since FY2025, we have been organizing and digitizing development data on a new platform. With the introduction of AI in mind, we will use our knowledge and know-how efficiently to develop products with a sense of speed.
Example in the Temperature-controlled Logistics Busines
Development of a Remote Monitoring System for a Freezer Leveraging Engineers’ Knowledge
Nichirei Logistics Group
Nichirei Logistics Engineering Inc.
Planning and Development Division
(From left) Haruki Noda,
Takahiro Sasaki
●What is the remote monitoring system for the operating status of freezers?
The remote monitoring system for the operation status of freezers (hereinafter, the remote monitoring system) enables obtaining real-time information on the set temperature, pressure, and current status of freezers installed in each warehouse, regardless of their manufacturer.
By incorporating the knowledge of the Nichirei Logistics Group, original system development was promoted with system vendors. Since the introduction in seven sites in 2022, 52 sites are using the system as of 2025.
●Getting out of a situation where nothing is clear unless someone is on-site
In the past, it was necessary to visit each warehouse to check the operating status of freezers. There was no standardization in the specifications of the monitoring system and the data collected. In addition, when an abnormality was detected with a freezer and an alert mail came in, regardless of the urgency of the abnormality, engineers in charge were required to rush to the site even during nights and holidays.
The remote monitoring system allows uploading the monitoring data, which used to be inconsistent at each warehouse, to the cloud. This eliminates the need to go to each warehouse and enables anyone to view standardized information anytime, anywhere. As a result, warehouse managers can judge the level of urgency and make instructions to engineers, such as “I received an alert email, but as the temperature does not rise during winter, inspection on the following day will work.”
●Consolidation of knowledge as an engineer
Standardization was important during development. Because the characteristics and manufacturers vary
depending on freezers, the requirements for data management at each warehouse were defined differently. However, engineers worked on developing the system by exchanging opinions to determine the priority of data and, in some cases, by standardizing the maintenance method itself.
In addition, since there are no identifiers attached to freezers, it sometimes took time to grasp the location and clarify the specifications, such as the connection between freezers A and B. However, the remote monitoring system is equipped with information on the installation location and specifications to make the information visible.
This has made it easier to compare and analyze different warehouses, and has led to improvements such as utilizing the knowledge obtained for designing the next temperature controlled facility.
●With a view to the optimization of overall warehouse operations
We are studying whether we can add specifications to the remote monitoring system in the future, such as a system that gives warning signs before trouble occurs, or a system that changes the power of a freezer according to the quantity of goods, so that the remote monitoring system and the warehouse inventory management system can be linked together to improve the efficiency of both storage and engineering. Furthermore, we also aim to sell the remote monitoring system to other companies as it will help solve common problems in the refrigerated warehouse industry.
●Overall remote monitoring system
●Freezer floor map
