Japan Food Service Journal articles from August 2002

Japan Food Service Journal archives from August 2002

Starbucks, Tsubohachi among businesses featuring soy milk.
August 25, 2002... Last year's 25% rise in soy milk consumption, spurred in part by concern over mad-cow disease, has prompted several food product and food service companies to give a more prominent role to the soy-derived liquid. Several Starbucks Coffee...

City hotel restaurants offer courses to relieve summer blues.
August 25, 2002... Restaurants in central Tokyo and Yokohama have been offering special courses featuring foods to relieve the summer doldrums. These foods include turtle, shark fin and pork Achilles tendon, all high in collagen, to help repair skin damaged...

UK sandwich shop operation Pret A Manger coming to Japan.
August 25, 2002... Pret A Manger, the UK-based sandwich restaurant chain, has started a Japanese subsidiary and plans to open its first Japan shop in Tokyo this autumn. Pret shops, which number about 120 worldwide, market themselves on freshness and quality. No...

McDonald's returns to deep-discounting menu to draw customers.
August 25, 2002... McDonald's Japan started offering deep discounts on several food items in the middle of the summer, most notably selling its basic Hamburger for a lowest ever price of 59 yen. The sandwich previously sold for 80 yen. Other discounts affected...

UCC Ueshima Coffee offers mixes for easy exotic desserts.
August 25, 2002... UCC Ueshima Coffee is offering dining establishments three mixes for Asian style desserts, which young women have made popular recently. The first item is Halo-halo Mix, which creates the Philippine style medley of gelatin and fruits like...

McDonald's, Subway, others offering non-beef sandwiches.
August 25, 2002... Fast-food shops McDonald's and Subway are offering chicken or pork salad sandwiches in place of beef this summer. Subway normally promotes beef during the summer season but consumer fears of mad-cow disease have led it instead to feature the...

Royal Park Hotel enters customer database system.
August 25, 2002... The Royal Park Hotel in Chuo-ku, Tokyo has become the first Japanese-owned hotel to join the Fidelio Front Office System, which runs a database on customer preferences. The database lets more than 10,000 hotels worldwide know what types of...

Lotteria widens campaign featuring 380 yen set.
August 25, 2002... A 380 yen set menu that Lotteria began offering in limited areas this summer is expanding to roughly 640 shops nationwide, reflecting the offering's popularity with young customers. The Sanpachi Trio features a choice of one of three...

Ichibanya converting shops to feature curry buns.
August 25, 2002... Ichibanya, which runs 800 shops nationwide focusing particularly on curry, is trying to alleviate inter-store competition by converting some shops to a new business form featuring curry buns alongside salads and other items. The first new...

Atom to start upscale sushi shops.
August 25, 2002... Atom, which runs three different sushi shops featuring low prices, is starting a new chain that will offer a high-priced menu and appeal with freshness. The new shop is Nigiri no Tokube, the first location of which is coming to Tokai City in...

McDonald's Japan ready to expand Mac Tokyo shops.
August 25, 2002... Mac Tokyo, a variation on the standard McDonald's restaurant that has an expanded menu of soups, salads and desserts, will soon spread beyond central Tokyo to a total of 19 prefectures. McDonald's Japan last year classified 121 shops in Tokyo...

Maruha tripling number of restaurants.
August 25, 2002... Seafood company Maruha, seeking to cover for a slow market in its traditional business, is operating 10 ethnic restaurants and seeks to expand to 30 in the next three years. Through its subsidiary Maruha Restaurant Systems, it presently runs...

Michelin-recognized Hiramatsu to open new French restaurant.
August 25, 2002... Hiramatsu, the company run by Hiroyuki Hiramatsu, is opening a new French restaurant in Tokyo to be known as La Reserv d' Hiramatsu. The chef shocked much of the restaurant establishment when an earlier established restaurant earned his first...

Ihara & Company to run authentic sushi shops in US.
August 25, 2002... Seafood producer Ihara & Company plans to open five sushi shops in the US, using fish primarily from US and Canadian waters but served in authentically Japanese forms. The shops, known as Sushikei, will try to avoid the Americanization trend...

Takashige Food Service shops to feature potstickers, fried rice.
August 25, 2002... Takashige Food Service, already the operator of a chain of grilled meat shops and other dining establishments, has announced the start of the new chain Rontan. Starting from a location in Shinjuku, Tokyo, the chain will offer a menu focusing...

ESI offers food recycling program for convenience stores.
August 25, 2002... Convenience stores with limited space can still take advantage of easy food recycling thanks to a program and compact machine offered by ESI. The Tokyo venture, which specializes in environmental systems, offers a machine measuring 60 x 60...

Tully's Coffee Japan begins roasting own beans.
August 25, 2002... Tully's Coffee Japan is now roasting six types of coffee beans in Japan with the help of UCC Ueshima Coffee. The company thus becomes the first major coffee house affiliated with a non-Japanese company to roast its own beans in Japan, and it...

Murasaki Honsha spins off line of standing-style izakaya pubs.
August 25, 2002... Within the next three years, Murasaki Honsha plans to have 100 outlets of its new Chotto Yoroya izakaya pub chain open. The first such shop opened early this summer in Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture, featuring a low-priced menu (grilled skewered...

Tsubohachi, Watami pubs spin off upscale versions.
August 25, 2002... Tsubohachi, known for its extensive chain of izakaya style pubs featuring grilled meats and seafood, also manages upscale variations of traditional izakaya fare at Okirakuya (Tokyo and Sendai) and Lilac-za (Tokyo). While Tsubohachi sticks...

Sony Music Entertainment inks licensing agreement with famed French chef.
August 25, 2002... Michelin three-star restaurant operator Joel Robuchon has entered a licensing agreement with Sony Music Entertainment to associate the French chef's image with new restaurants as well as books, prepared foods and television programs. Four...

Italy's E-Group boasts quality in first Japanese cafes.
August 25, 2002... E-Group, the Italian coffee roasting business, plans a chain of 40-50 cafes in Japan in the next five years, starting with its flagship store in Sendai this summer. The chain seeks to emphasize Italian-style quality and full service in...

Sumisho Gourmet Coffee set for vigorous expansion of espresso cafes.
August 25, 2002... Sumisho Gourmet Coffee plans to make active use of franchising to boost its chain of Segafredo Zanetti chains to 100 outlets by March 2004. Approximately two-thirds of the total would be franchises. A standard-size shop would require an...

MOS Food Service featuring more local specials.
August 25, 2002... In a bid to make its regional fast food outlets more unique, MOS Food Service plans more limited-area specials featuring local food products. The company contracts with local producers to bring less-common types of food to its menu. The first...

Key Coffee spins out high-end brand Clavis.
August 25, 2002... A Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo is the home of a coffee retail corner for Clavis, a new brand from Key Coffee. Positioned as the company's high-end coffee brand, Clavis is described as a return to the basics. Beans are stored in a...

Sanyo Food Products Grabs Market Spotlight with Easy Pickle-Making Liquid Seasoning.
August 25, 2002... Sanyo Food Products, a maker devoted to Western foods, has captured the attention of consumers with Kantan Pickles, a liquid vinegar seasoning that is simply poured over cucumbers, carrots, cauliflower, pearl onions and other vegetables to...

McDonald's Holdings' midterm status shows downside of half-price campaign.
August 25, 2002... McDonald's Holdings Co. Japan could be facing its third consecutive year of declining profit this year unless its recently revived low-price strategy returns customers to stores. Early estimates of first-half results (through June) indicate...

MOS Food Services starts children's menu.
August 25, 2002... MOS Food Services has started offering a children's menu in about 500 shops among its 1550 locations in Japan. MOS Kid's Menu (400 yen) is for children under age six. The menu consists of a chicken vegetable burger or chicken vegetable rice...

Life Create offers hot moist towel server.
August 25, 2002... Oshibori Taro from Life Create yields sanitary oshibori, the hot, moist cloths used by diners before dining. The machine kills germs in the water with UV rays. The user sets special rolled towels (either nonwoven or paper, both of which are...

Ecogreen machine creates soba noodles easily.
August 25, 2002... Mr. Noodler, a new product from Ecogreen, is an all-in-one processor of soba (buckwheat) noodles. The machine is easy to use, requiring only that the user add flour and water. The compact system sells for 870,000 yen. Noise and vibration are...

Galax creates movable traffic signs.
August 25, 2002... The Safety Call Sign is a portable traffic sign that can be used for non-official purposes, especially for controlling traffic exiting from parking lots to streets. As an automobile approaches, a sensor in the machine causes a rotating red...

Juko Shokai offers outdoor heater for comfortable dining.
August 25, 2002... Juko Shokai offers the Parasol Heater for warming outdoor areas and making dining comfortable. The 10kg or 20kg gas tank lasts for 11 or 22 hours respectively. The heater warms an area three meters in radius. Prices are 320,000 and 330,000...

Wedge device keeps oil from spoiling.
August 25, 2002... Wedge offers a device called Shokuyu Kakumei, which keeps both vegetable and animal oils from spoiling. Placed at the bottom of a fryer, it prevents the oxidation of oil and keeps it clean. As a result, food is tastier and crunchier, and...

Kuraray wiping cloths with very fine fibers.
August 25, 2002... Clamp is a new wiping cloth from Kuraray. It is made with very fine WRAMP fibers, making it possible to clean very precisely. The cloth absorbs water and oil quickly. Varieties are the Glass Duster and Table Duster (each 50 yen), both...

Kikkoman authentic yakiniku sauce.
August 25, 2002... Kikkoman offers the Yakiniku no Tare Wagaya ha Yakinikuyasan (literally, grilled meat sauce delicious enough to make one's own home a yakiniku restaurant). Using a special soy sauce as a base, it has a full body accented with sesame oil,...

Kaori Kobo Teko smoked meat products.
August 25, 2002... Kaori Kobo Teko offers a number of new meat products, including Kagoshima Kurobuta Roast Ham (700 yen/100g), Kagoshima Kurobuta Bacon (630 yen/100g), Kagoshima Kurobuta Spare Ribs (580 yen/100g) and Miyazaki Akadori Chicken Ham (550...

Flavored boiled eggs from Goto Furanjo.
August 25, 2002... Ajitsuke Tamago Gotchan is a flavored boiled egg direct from Goto Furanjo, which raises its own chickens. The eggs are boiled, shelled and then cooked with natural flavoring with a soy sauce base. The flavor penetrates all the way to the...

Oke Sangyo releases commercial-use potstickers.
August 25, 2002... Oke Sangyo has released the new commercial-use potsticker Sanhoumu Yakigyoza from PB brand Sanhoumu Series. The product has improved flavor and also contains a charred portion so that the restaurant can skip one step of cooking and it can be...

Hoko Fishing launches commercial-use dairy products.
August 25, 2002... Hoko Fishing has launched five new commercial-use dairy products. Pocket Cream Cheese is a bite-size creamy and smooth cream cheese. The product comes in 20 x 36 x 20g units. Cream SYLPH is a mildly sweet cream cheese that is good for various...

Hoko Fishing releases commercial-use seafood products.
August 25, 2002... Hoko Fishing has released five new commercial-use seafood products. Herb Salmon is sliced salmon from Chile that is marinated in herb-seasoned liquid so it does not smell fishy. It is good for salad and other dishes. It comes in twenty 500g...

Heinz Japan launches two new commercial-use frozen food products.
August 25, 2002... Heinz Japan has launched two new commercial-use frozen food products. Hosogiri Potato Gratin is a frozen gratin made of potatoes cut into thin sticks, additive-free bacon, broccoli and plenty of milk. One dish (200g) sells for 255 yen. Ebi to...

Fuji Foods releases commercial-use cold ramen noodle soup.
August 25, 2002... Fuji Foods has released three kinds of commercial-use cold ramen noodle soup, Ryomen Club Hiyashi Ramen Soup. The three varieties are Aka Hiyashi (Miso, bean paste), Shiro Hiyashi (Shirayu, plain hot water) and Kin Hiyashi (Shio, salt). The...

Takeuchi Tekkojo bone crusher speeds ramen soup preparation.
August 25, 2002... Takeuchi Tekkojo manufactures the Giroton, a machine that crushes pig bones into one- to two-cm pieces in just a few seconds. The crushed bones are used to flavor the soup in which ramen noodles are served. The user need only place the bones...

Tokyo Gas, Tanico develop fast-cooking oven Biturbo.
August 25, 2002... Biturbo is a new fast-cooking oven that combines microwaves to penetrate food with a fan blowing hot air across the food. Tokyo Gas lent the precision combustion technology while Tanico is carrying out manufacture. Controlled with an IC chip...

Marukin Chuyu confirms estrogen-like property of pomegranate juice.
August 25, 2002... According to joint scientific studies by Marukin Chuyu and the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Kinki University, pomegranate juice does possess strong estrogen-like activity. Tests on concentrated 100% pomegranate extract made by...

Strategic alliance between Godo Shusei and Taito puts new sweetener on the market.
August 25, 2002... Godo Shusei, a liquor maker, discovered a property in the natural sugar L-arabinose that regulates blood sugar levels. The company then provided Taito, the second largest sugar refiner in Japan, with data and know-how regarding the discovery,...

ABI Creates Near-Fresh Frozen Foods.
August 25, 2002... ABI, a venture that develops freezing equipment, is marketing a machine featuring CAS (Cell Alive System), a function that allows food products to be frozen in a relatively short time while maintaining the characteristic texture of the item....

Kyowa Hakko, KI-Chemical Facilitate Mass Production of astaxanthin.
August 25, 2002... Kyowa Hakko Kogyo and KI-Chemical have devised technology to facilitate low-cost mass production of astaxanthin, a type of natural carotenoid used to improve the color of the yolks in chicken eggs and the color of the flesh in cultivated...

System Keeps Live Fish Fresh for Restaurants.
August 25, 2002... Osakana Kikaku is applying for patent on the Kan'igata Ikesu Kaimin Yuei, a system for keeping squid and other fish alive and fresh during delivery to restaurants and keeping there. The system puts each squid in a separate bag. Water comes in...

Ina Food Industry develops "ultra xanthan".
August 25, 2002... Ina Food Industry, a maker of agar and gelling agents, is marketing powdered and granular forms of a standard type (V-7) and a transparent type (VT-7) of "ultra xanthan gum." This new xanthan gum exhibits a higher viscosity - 1.5 to 2 times...

Placeram develops permeation technology for foods.
August 25, 2002... Placeram, a company that develops, makes and markets functional resins to plug holes in metals, has engineered a processing technology for foods that uses vacuum and pressure to force nutrients into food products. The technology adds...

Ajinomoto's artificial sweetener surpasses sweetness of sugar, aspartame.
August 25, 2002... Ajinomoto has developed an artificial sweetener that is 20,000 times as sweet as sugar and 100 times as sweet as aspartame, a mainstay product of the company. The new sweetener is a derivative of aspartame but exhibits better heat-resistance...

Myojo Foods' processing technique adjusts consistency of non-fried noodles.
August 25, 2002... Myojo Foods has developed a new processing technique that allows the consistency of non-fried ramen noodles to be adjusted. The technique can be used to create non-fried ramen noodles that have the light consistency of fried noodles. In...

Okinawa Industrial Technology Center, Okinawa Shokuryo use rice to lower blood pressure.
August 25, 2002... Okinawa Industrial Technology Center and Okinawa Shokuryo have jointed developed a drink featuring a peptide that uses amylase, protease and other enzymes to hydrolyze rice proteins. This peptide holds the promise of controlling blood...

Wada Seito, Nat'l Agricultural Research Center for Hokkaido Region produces new potatoes.
August 25, 2002... Wada Seito and the National Agricultural Research Center for Hokkaido Region have jointly developed Colorful Potato, in two varieties, which contain 142-148mg of anthocyanins - polyphenols that suppress activated oxygen in the body - per...