Japan Food Service Journal articles from June 2002

Japan Food Service Journal archives from June 2002

Police search of records rattles Duskin's Mister Donut chain.(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Osaka police in late May searched the offices of a company that manufactures nikuman (steamed buns with meat in them) for Mister Donut. The chain is accused of using an unauthorized oxidation inhibitor in the product, which has been one of...

Outback Steakhouse ready to widen presence in Japan, Asia.(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Florida-based Outback Steakhouse plans to expand from four shops to nine in Japan during the current fiscal year. From there it will build to 32 in the next three years and ready itself for a building campaign in the rest of Asia. Outback...

Pizza-La owner Four Seas expanding its sushi business.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 25, 2002... Four Seas is planning to use the home delivery model of its Pizza-La chain as it expands its chain of Kakiyazushi sushi home delivery shops. To do so, it plans to open its first franchised Kakiyazushi this summer. Some of the new shops will...

Annual reports show little recovery at department stores.(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... The FY2001 reports for five major department stores indicate that two made modest sales gains, while three lost as customers spent less during the deflationary period. The volume leader, Takashimaya, enjoyed sales of 1.21 trillion yen, a gain...

Customers spend less per visit, according to convenience store annual reports.(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Annual reports from the leading convenience stores showed rising sales at all five, with the margin varying between 0.5% and 6.5%. Seven-Eleven Japan reported sales of 2.11 trillion yen (up 3.3%) and operating profits of 150 billion yen (up...

Restaurant operator Italian Tomato adding more cafes.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 25, 2002... Italian Tomato plans to open 50 Italian Tomato Junior Cafes by next February as it seeks to compete more widely in the low-price food service market. That sector has fared well in the current economy. Italian Tomato subsidiary I&K operates...

Ichibanya to sell Hawaiian curry chain, become franchisee.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 25, 2002... Ichibanya is selling off all shares of CoCo Ichi Hawaii, its debt-burdened subsidiary operating curry shops in Hawaii. The buyer of the 3500 shares will be a real estate company from Aichi Prefecture, who will take possession of the business...

Morozoff expanding Silver Mitten shops.(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Morozoff is expanding the number of shops it runs under the Silver Mitten name. The shops are located in train station complexes and offer fresh desserts like pudding (150 yen) and sweet potato snack (120 yen). The menu typically has...

Tricolore opening sales of automatic coffee machine to other companies.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 25, 2002... Tricolore is launching outside sales of an automatic drip coffee machine it designed for its own coffee shops. Its business plan calls for leasing 100 of the machines and charging a fee of 10 yen per cup served, using a counter in each...

Daiei annual report shows group loss of 333 billion yen.(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Department store chain Daiei has released its report for FY2001, showing a final consolidated loss of 333 billion yen, but management has enlisted the help of three banks to ease the chain's debt load. The group, exclusive of its credit arm...

Ito Yokado is profit leader among supermarkets.(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Ito Yokado has announced non-consolidated operating profits of 30.6 billion yen for FY2001, a gain of 88%. It was the first operating profit rise for the chain in six years and helped it recapture first place among supermarket profits, which...

Yoshinoya D&C announces record operating profit, even better outlook.(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Yoshinoya D&C has said its consolidated operating profit for FY 2002, ending February 2003, will rise 12% from the previous year to 18 billion yen, making the eighth consecutive year of increase. The company has countered the impact of...

Lotteria launches new hamburger products.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 25, 2002... Lotteria has discontinued making its regular hamburgers and cheeseburgers and has launched new variations, including Pure Burger (130 yen), Pure Cheeseburger (160 yen) and Pure L Burger (220 yen). This is the first time the company has...

Toho Kogyo develops portable gas cooking stove.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)(Statistical Data Included)
June 25, 2002... Toho Kogyo has developed a portable cooking stove that uses gas instead of solid alcohol fuel. A solid alcohol fuel cooking stove has only weak power and it lasts only for a short time, plus the user cannot control the power. But the new...

MOS Food Service updates dessert menu.(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... To compete with coffee chain stores, MOS Food Service has updated its sides menu to appeal to women in their twenties and thirties. The menu now includes a new deep-fried dessert Koronto (80 yen each). It comes in two flavors: Kuriadzuki...

Dainichi Kogyo coffee bean roaster.(Japan)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 25, 2002... The Cafepro 101 is a new type of coffee bean roaster that works with any type of bean thanks to an automatic sensor. The unit is compact and has 12 roasting settings and three flavor settings. This machine lets even untrained staff easily...

Semi-automatic espresso machine Classica imported by I Link.(Japan)(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... The Classica espresso machine is made in Italy and brought to Japan by I Link. Its black and silver steel color gives it an elegant look, and the foamer attachment helps make authentic espresso drinks. Maintenance and operation are easy....

NTT ME offers kitchen waste recycler.(Japan)(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... The Bio-Runner BR-S60SS turns kitchen waste into compost in just 24 hours and into animal feed in 48 hours, using microorganisms to ferment it. Any processed material that exceeds the user's capacity to use can be sent to NTT ME. Added...

Asplund Contract Jigyobu chair Zaisu for comfortable floor seating.(Jigyobu contracts Asplund to produce wooden chairs, Japan)(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... The Zaisu chair is a modern take on a Japanese chair for floor-level sitting. Made of layers of beech wood, it is designed to minimize curves and is available in different colors to give different effects. It is for seating in Japanese-style...

Epson Hanbai offers two-color receipt printer.(Japan)(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... The TM-J2100 prints receipts in two colors. Priced at 145,000 yen (or 155,000 yen for the USB version), it is the first such printer to use inkjet technology instead of a thermal system. As a result, receipt print jobs look more attractive,...

Midori Anzen safety shoes for slippery floors.(Japan)(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... People who work in kitchens and other places with slippery floors will benefit from the Hi-Grip H-700 shoes, which have special treads and material to keep from slipping. Each pair, available in pink, white, black or blue, costs 4700 yen.

Powdered green tea with beefsteak leaf offered by Kanagawa Kenchaho.(Japan)(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Kanagawa Kenchaho offers Matcha-iri Aoshiso Cha Onomiyasu, a powder green tea with the flavor of refreshing shiso (beefsteak plant) leaves. It can be used in cooking tempura and other dishes. It mixes easily in hot water. Price is 850 yen for...

Eco Shokuhin vends saffron-flavored black tea.(Japan)(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Syrene Saffron Tea offers the relaxing and body-warming benefits of saffron. It is a combination of Indian black tea with high-quality saffron. After steeping for one minute, it becomes a beautiful golden tea. Price is 650 yen for 20 1.8g...

Universal Design Titanium Cutlery from Sakurai.(Japan)(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Each piece of Universal Design Titanium Cutlery is so light it floats on water. The pieces sell for 3800 yen each and are not easily scratched. A special material is used to make the pieces easier to grip, and the hollow in the grip...

Nippon Sanso releases five new commercial-use frozen food products.(Japan)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 25, 2002... Nippon Sanso has released five new commercial-use frozen food products. Mugi to Shirasu no Yakionigiri is grilled rice balls that contain barley and shirasu (dried young sardines) that are rich in dietary fiber and calcium, and there are...

Microwave-ready fried rice commercial-use frozen food products from Nippon Sanso.(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Nippon Sanso has released five new varieties of commercial-use frozen food fried rice products. Range Self Chahan is a fried rice with chashu (roast pork), shrimp and egg and it is in a microwave-ready container. One case has 32 250g...

Japan Tobacco launches two new commercial-use frozen food products.(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Japan Tobacco has launched two new commercial-use frozen food products. Tokusen Aji Fillet Isobe Fry is a fried horse mackerel fillet coated with breadcrumbs mixed with green laver and white sesame. The product comes in six bags of 20...

Commercial-use frozen food Lunch Series from Japan Tobacco.(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Japan Tobacco has released three items in the Lunch Series. Butadon no Gu (Kimchi-fu) is a re-creation of the Obihiro speciality, Butadon Bowl. The product has rather large slices of pork and onion flavored with bean paste and red hot pepper...

Japan Tobacco releases four new commercial-use frozen food products such as potato cup gratin.(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Japan Tobacco has released four new commercial-use frozen food products. Potato Cup no Gratin (Horenso) is a spinach gratin dish in an edible shell. It has Hokkaido potatoes, special sauce with spinach and natural cheese topping. The...

Commercial-use Chinese frozen food products from Japan Tobacco.(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Japan Tobacco has launched three items in the commercial-use frozen food Chinese Series. Hanten Ebi Gyoza is a potsticker that contains fresh shrimp and bamboo shoots and is good for both steaming and frying. The product comes in 12 trays of...

Japan Tobacco launches two commercial-use frozen dessert products.(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Japan Tobacco has launched two commercial-use frozen dessert products. Nyoho Ichigo Jelly is a fruit dessert with Nyoho strawberry jelly with condensed milk sauce underneath. It is vitamin C fortified. The product is in an easy to serve small...

Kagome releases mini packed sauce products.(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Kagome has released Jojuku Restaurant yo Mini Pack Sauce without additives. The products are targeted at school lunch programs and convenience stores. Worcestershire Sauce Jojuku and Chuno (medium thick) Sauce come in 40 8g packs...

Two commercial-use frozen soups from Kagome.(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Kagome has added two commercial-use frozen soup products, bringing its total to four. The new ones start with Omugi Komugi no Corn Soup with sweet corn, onion, carrot, Italian barley and wheat. Mame no Cream Soup contains potatoes, onion,...

Five commercial-use frozen food products from Nichirei.(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Nichirei has released five commercial-use frozen food products. Tokusen Dinner Creamy Beef Croquette is a creamy croquette made from well-strained potato, fresh milk, fresh cream and beef with crisp coating. The product comes in three sets of...

Kagome launches sauce products for bakeries.(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Kagome has launched sauce products for bakeries. The company has been developing new channels and this is the first product for the bakery channel. The products are Bakery yo Pizza Sauce (1kg, 588 yen), Bakery yo Meat Sauce (1kg, 688 yen) and...

Heinz Japan releases commercial-use frozen food gratin dish products with handmade quality.(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Heinz Japan has released commercial-use frozen food gratin dish products with handmade quality. Ebi to Penne no Americane Gratin is a shrimp flavored gratin dish with gratin sauce rich in Hokkaido milk and fresh Ise shrimp. It also uses penne...

Ajinomoto updates commercial-use chicken stock product.(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Ajinomoto has updated a commercial-use chicken stock product popular as a Chinese-style seasoning for soup, fried dishes and others. The product is Marutori Shiyo Gara Soup. It has been improved using a new method to realize fresh chicken...

Ajinomoto adds new product to commercial-use seasoning series.(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Ajinomoto has added Okome Fukkura Chomiryo to its commercial-use Chomiryo Series of seasonings. The company developed and launched that series for large-scale cooking businesses in February 1999. The new addition is a functional food that...

Ajinomoto updates mayonnaise product for catering.(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Ajinomoto has updated four items of the Gyomuyo (commercial-use) Ajinomoto Catering mayonnaise product. The company has adopted a new bottle with three times the barrier property toward oxygen. Ajinomoto also improved its manufacturing method...

Ajinomoto releases red pepper oil product.(Brief Article)
June 25, 2002... Ajinomoto has released commercial-use product Savor Up Togarashi Yu (red pepper oil). The product is a high quality cooking oil that is made by slowly extracting the hot components of red pepper using hot oil. It uses a blend of very hot...

Commercial-use healthy cooking oil from Ajinomoto.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 25, 2002... Ajinomoto has launched commercial-use oil Ajinomoto KK Kenko Sarara. The product is 100% natural soybean oil with germ and it has already been on the market as a home use product. It is rich in vegetable sterol (several times more than...