Japan Food Service Journal articles from December 2002

Japan Food Service Journal archives from December 2002

Japanese top 50 individual hotels.
December 25, 2002... The weekly HoteRes lists total sales of the top 50 individual hotels (exclusive of hotels with less than 50 rooms and newly opened hotels that have less than one year operating time) as below, followed by their number of rooms and sales (in...

Sapporo Breweries develops new type draft beer server system.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Sapporo Breweries has developed a new type draft beer server system that makes maintenance easy. The typical draft beer server system has a 15m pipe in a coil shape for cooling beer using the pressure of carbon dioxide. It is very hard to...

Hotel restaurants offer unique healthy menus.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Hotel restaurants are starting to offer unique healthy menus. Chinzanso has started offering Konnyaku Kaiseki (a meal of dainty and refined Japanese dishes, each served individually using gelatinous food made from devil's-tongue starch) at...

McDonald's Japan offers women's only floor at shop in Kobe.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... McDonald's Japan is offering its first women's only floor at a location in Kobe. This particular shop has a fashionable interior planned by a French designer using wood grain and about 70% of the customers had already been women. Now the...

Tricolore restaurant Ange Paqut offering bite size food only.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Tricolore has opened restaurant Ange Paqut (meaning "angel's gift" in French) in Setagaya, Tokyo that offers only bite size food items. For example, a hamburger is about half the size of one at McDonald's. The cost of individual items is from...

Convenience stores offer higher priced food items.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Major convenience stores have started selling higher priced food items and these value-added items have been selling well. FamilyMart sells handmade Chinese steamed buns with slow-cooked pork, shiitake mushrooms, and bamboo shoots wrapped in...

UCC Ueshima operates small-scale coffee shop chain.(Mister Espresso coffee shop)(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... UCC Ueshima has opened the first Mister Espresso, a small-scale coffee shop (about seven square meters) that offers less expensive items such as cappuccino for 200 yen and Espresso Doppio for 170 yen using high quality coffee beans that cost...

Sanrokku sells caviar of farmed sturgeon.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Sanrokku, a company financed by Kamaishi City and others, will sell caviar next summer that is collected from farmed sturgeons. Declines in the Caspian Sea sturgeon population have caused the price of its caviar to soar. The company produces...

Takoyaki shop with Dracula theme by Yoshimoto Food Service.(in Okayama City)(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Yoshimoto Food Service has opened the first Nintako takoyaki shop in Okayama City (27 square meters with a counter and tables). The shop offers only one kind of takoyaki (dumplings with octopus pieces) with garlic (six dumplings, 280 yen). It...

Food XG starts green tea shops.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Food XG (previously Tully's Coffee Japan) has opened green tea shop Koots Green Tea in Tokyo (165 square meters, 50 seats) to diversify its business. It offers about twenty green tea drinks such as Sencha (green tea), Matcha (powdered green...

MOS Food Services launches dinner set menu.(in about 550 MOS Burger restaurants )(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... MOS Food Services has started MOS Dinner Set at about 550 MOS Burger shops. There are four varieties of the set menu (480 yen to 780 yen) including Beef Stroganoff no Chapata Sand Set that has two side dishes including fries, and Tomato no...

Pepper Food Service opens high quality burger and steak restaurant.(Mr. Kuniemon opens in Tokyo)(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Pepper Food Service, which operates steak chain Pepper Lunch, has opened Mr. Kuniemon, a new type restaurant that serves steak and high quality hamburgers in Tokyo. The hamburger menu with salad and soup is 1000 yen and with a cheeseburger it...

McDonald's Japan starts new type set menu.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... McDonald's Japan has started the new set menu Mac Choice. It offers more varieties of items such as salad and shakes. Previous set menu choices were limited to hamburgers, French fries and drinks. The price of new sets is 500 or 550 yen...

Rice Bread.(bread uses rice instead of wheat as main ingredient )(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Powder Techno Corporation formed in conjunction with Yamagata University has announced the development of a bread that uses rice instead of wheat as its main ingredient. The company now plans to begin marketing the bread nation-wide from...

Ceramide Beauty Capsules.(from Honen Corp.)(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Honen Corporation has released "Ceramide Cysteine" a beauty nutritional supplement containing ceramide and cysteine - 2 beauty enhancing agents now commonly found in a wide range of cosmetic products. The product consists of soft...

Flavoured Newka Oligo Sugar.(from Pearl Ace )(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Tokyo based Pearl Ace (A subsidiary of Maruha) has released "Oligo No Okage" a range of flavoured syrups containing Newka oligo sugar proven to improve the overall working of the digestive system. The syrups, available in 3 flavours...

Kiwi Fruit Wine.(Kagawa Prefecture Sangyo Gijutsu Centre launches wine)(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Kagawa Prefecture Sangyo Gijutsu Centre has released "Kosui" a sweet wine made from locally produced kiwi fruit. The resultant wine, fermented for a period of 2 weeks in vats at a controlled temperature of 15 degrees Celsius, is rich in...

Green Tea Aroma Coffee.(Karasawa Coffee Ten launches ground coffee)(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Karasawa Coffee Ten has released "Ocha Coffee" a ground coffee bean product with the aroma of "Ocha" green tea. The ground coffee beans are mixed with green tea powder for a specific period of time to enable them to naturally absorb the...

Back to Front Eggs.(Aibekkusu launches new eggs)(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Aibekkusu has released "Heisei Kimigaeshi" eggs that have the yolk on the outside of the white when boiled. While the actual process has not been fully revealed, the yolk is induced to the outside of the egg using ultra sonic sound waves...

S.T. Chemical deodorizing products for varied uses.(Sanity line of industrial deodorizers)(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... S.T. Chemical's Sanity line of industrial deodorizers includes four varieties that attack fatty acids, nitrogen compounds and sulfur compounds. Users can pick the needed type according to the type of odor they need to eliminate: tobacco, food...

Everyday Wine product keeps wine from oxidizing.(develops Whynot)(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Everyday Wine has developed Whynot, a product to preserve wine, and has opened a shop that serves wine by the glass in Shibuya, Tokyo. The consumer uses a special cork changer to replace air in the bottle with an inert gas, then uses a...

Leak tester sold by Seiko Engineering is used by major food manufacturing company.
December 25, 2002... Seiko Engineering, which sells the Wilcomat Series of leak testers made by Swiss company Wilco, has delivered one such device for a plastic cup filling and packaging line at a major food manufacturing company. After the cup is filled and the...

McDonald's Holdings Co. (Japan) stock price hits new low on JASDAQ.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... The share price of McDonald's Holdings Co. (Japan) closed at 1980 yen November 12, marking the issue's first trip below the 2000 yen line since its listing in July 2001. The peak price of 5080 yen was recorded immediately after the company...

Starbucks Coffee Japan foresees red ink.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Starbucks Coffee Japan has announced its forecast of a loss for FY2002 (ending March 2003). The estimated 190 million yen in the red contrasts to the earlier estimate of a 2.2 billion yen profit. The suggested year-end dividend of 75 yen will...

Matsushita Electric Works machine reduces volume of kitchen waste while saving space.(Gyomuyo Namagomi Eater)(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Matsushita Electric Works makes the Gyomuyo Namagomi Eater for indoor or outdoor kitchen waste processing. After running through the process, waste takes up only 5-10% of its original volume. The new system has a capacity for 15kg of waste...

Winterhalter Japan institutional dishwasher from Germany.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Winterhalter Japan offers the Winterhalter GS315 dishwasher imported from Germany. The machine includes a self-diagnosing function. The commercial-use machine has an easy program for washing its own interior. It is equipped with a wide mouth...

Rising Enterprise air purifier with negative ions.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Minus Ion Kuki Joka Sochi TS-4 is an air purifier using negative ions. Available from Rising Enterprise, it helps control germs, prevent mold, remove allergens and eliminate chemicals that have a deleterious effect on people. One type can be...

Nameki Shokai device Cerapure helps break down calcium scale.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... The Cerapure from Nameki Shokai activates water to increase electron activity and enhance surfactant properties. The yielded water can be used to break down calcium scale and keep it from accumulating. It is recommended for use in...

Sun Delica vending machine serves fresh-tasting sushi.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Homare Sushi is a system combining a vending machine with a special microwave oven to serve sushi. Available from Sun Delica, the machine is stocked with frozen sushi that can last for extended periods. The microwave uses a ceramic defrosting...

Smoke-less gas-fueled cooker from Kosei Kogyo.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Muen-shiki Kushiyaki Senyo Kaisyo Series (Classe) is a gas-burning skewered food cooker that produces no smoke. There are two heat settings, and users can add charcoal for its unique flavor, but the cooker is designed to cook similarly to...

Specially raised duck in product from Cook Foods.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Cook Foods makes the product Kamo Hitokuchi Kushikatsu with ducks specially raised for the purpose. No antibiotics or hormones are used, thus leaving a soft flavor. This is a skewered food product in bite-size pieces. It includes several...

Yume Kikaku frozen crepes.(Crepe Seihin and Crepe Mittsuori Kiji)(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Crepe Seihin and Crepe Mittsuori Kiji are frozen crepe products available from Yume Kikaku. Crepe Seihin is ready-made and comes in 10 flavors such as banana chocolate. These are dessert-type crepes. They need only be heated in the microwave....

Aritaya soy sauce maintains natural flavor.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Aritaya manufactures Kiage Marudaizu Shikomi Tennen Jozo Shoyu, a traditional soy sauce made without heating or pressure, thus preserving the yeast and lactobacilli. Therefore the taste is more natural. The sauce is not overly filtered. Since...

Otafuku Sauce's Hiroshima-style dipping sauce.
December 25, 2002... Otafuku Sauce offers Hiroshima-fu Karakuchi Tsukemen no Tare, a Hiroshima-style soy- and bonito-based sauce for dipping noodles and vegetables. Made with chili pepper, it is a spicy sauce that promotes the appetite. Overall the taste is sour....

Nichio Shoji imports Italian mineral water.
December 25, 2002... Surgiva Mineral Water (super sparkling or natural type) is a popular high-end mineral water in Italy. Nichio Shoji has added a 500ml size (250 yen) to the previously offered 250 and 750ml sizes. The water comes from a natural area and is...

Mineral-rich Okinawan water from Kumejima Kaiyo Shinsosui Kaihatsu.(deep sea water from the ocean near Kume Island)(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Okinawa Kumejima 100% Kaiyo Shinsosui Ryubi no Mizu is a deep-sea water drawn from the ocean near Kume Island in Okinawa. It is available from Kumejima Kaiyo Shinsosui Kaihatsu. Rich in minerals, especially magnesium, it promotes the...

UCC Ueshima releases frozen cake for food service industry.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... UCC Ueshima has released five new frozen cake products from food service industry dessert brand Belle Liebe. The new products are Belle Liebe Mont Blanc (cookie crust with chestnut paste), Belle Liebe Millefeuille (layered pie that can be...

Kanesaki launches rice ball wrapped in kamaboko fish paste.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Kanesaki has launched Myo no Kamamusu, a rice ball wrapped in kamaboko (boiled fish paste). For the rice balls, the firm uses Sasanishiki rice grown with little chemical input, puts little salmon or kelp pieces in and wraps them with kamaboko...

Popular Chinese steamed buns from FamilyMart.(FamilyMart distributing Tonporoman)(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... FamilyMart has started selling Tonporoman, Chinese steamed buns with pork wrapped in dried soybean casein sheet inside so the broth from the meat does not soak the bun. One bun is 180 yen, which is higher priced than regular Chinese steamed...

Takara develops home soft ice cream machine.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Takara plans to release a soft ice cream machine for the home in March 2003 for about 10,000 yen. The product was developed jointly with Effort. The frozen soft ice cream packs (about 90g for about 90 yen) will be manufactured by a dairy...

Muro Corporation launches citrus fruit peeler.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Muro Corporation, better known for its auto parts, has released Orange Peeler, an electric citrus fruit peeler that holds and turns the fruit sideways and has round teeth that move up and down to remove the peel. It takes about eight seconds...

Jonathan develops low cost food waste processing system.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Jonathan has developed a low cost kitchen waste processing system that releases almost no odor and reduces the volume of the waste to about 20%. The system was developed jointly with Setsuraku Seisakusho and is very compact with a top loading...

Osaka Institute of Environmental Life Science Inc. develops waste oil decomposing system.(with Koito Jushi)(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Osaka Institute of Environmental Life Science Inc. and Koito Jushi have jointly developed O-goreactor, which uses microorganisms to decompose waste oil from restaurants. The system separates oil from water before discharging wastewater into...

MGP develops vegetable sheets.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Food manufacturer MGP has developed vegetables processed into sheets just like nori (laver). The product was developed as a supplement for dietary fiber. The product has three varieties (carrot, spinach and cabbage) and it does not contain...

California Prune Advisory Board develops prune miso (bean paste).(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... The California Prune Advisory Board has developed prune miso, which is a combination of dried prune paste and akamiso (dark brown bean paste). It looks like regular akamiso but has a refreshing sweet and sour taste. Prunes have minerals such...

Green Energy develops high-temperature wastewater treatment method.(develops ACE Wastewater Treatment System)(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Green Energy, a developer and seller of environmentally responsible systems, has developed the ACE Wastewater Treatment System, which boils the water and heats the steam to over 1000 degrees C, burning off all the organic components and...

Tani Kogyo introduces economical self-sealing liquid container.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Tani Kogyo, a manufacturer of containers, has applied for a patent on a cap for a squeeze bottle which prevents ingress of air into the bottle and the resultant oxidation of the contents. Called the V Drip, the cap consists of three...

Chuo Kagaku selling compact cup sealer.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Food packaging manufacturer Chuo Kagaku is selling a machine dubbed Deli-Pita-kun, which seals cups of coffee, soup, etc. without heat. Manufactured by a domestic machinery maker, the sealer has a footprint the size of a B4 size sheet of...

Ueda Hoso Kigyo announces compact bowl sealer.(Brief Article)
December 25, 2002... Ueda Hoso Kigyo is selling a compact machine for sealing the top of a bowl called the Enter-pack. It is intended for use in convenience stores, noodle shops, fast food restaurants, supermarkets and other locations where consumers may wish to...