Japan Food Service Journal articles from May 2002

Japan Food Service Journal archives from May 2002

U.S. Meat Export Federation launches "Aisaresu Beef" promotion.
May 25, 2002... With beef sales down 30-40% recently in Japan, the U.S. Meat Export Federation has launched its "Aisareru Beef" ("much-loved beef") campaign to restart sales in the largest overseas market for US beef. The campaign is set to run through...

McDonald's settles in for slower expansion rate.
May 25, 2002... After a string of months with declining same-store sales year-on-year, McDonald's Japan says that it is rethinking the aggressive growth strategy it has followed since 1995. That is the year company President Den Fujita announced that by...

Japan Franchise Association report profiles convenience store results for 2001.
May 25, 2002... In its annual profile of the convenience store industry as represented by 14 major chains, the Japan Franchise Association reports that the number of shops rose 3.0% to 36,486 but strong competition with each other and with low-cost...

Italia Hanten Capricciosa opens fast-food pasta restaurant.
May 25, 2002... Italia Hanten Capricciosa, known for its chain of restaurants serving generous-portion Southern Italian cuisine, has opened the first of several shops concentrating on fast pasta dishes. The new Bilikina shop in Tokyo uses frozen pasta...

Zensho, MOS Food Service shops turn to chicken.
May 25, 2002... Zensho has put new chicken-based dishes on the otherwise beef-dominated menu of its 359 Sukiya shops. New items include Tsukune Don, which consists of chicken on a bed of rice with shredded laver and sauce for 380 yen, or 410 yen for the...

Mislabeling scam temporarily removes Starzen products from grocer coolers.
May 25, 2002... Grocery store chains in late February were temporarily halting sales of meat products from wholesaler Starzen after word was released that the company had mislabeled pork products. Starzen mislabeled meat from an inexpensive breed as that...

Zen-noh Chicken Foods apologizes for mislabeling.
May 25, 2002... Katsuo Sasaki, president of Zen-noh Chicken Foods, apologized to consumers March 4 at a press conference in Saitama Prefecture. That is the home base of the company that recently sold mislabeled chicken to a local consumer cooperative....

Short supply of cocoa drives up LIFFE benchmark price.
May 25, 2002... The highest prices for commercial cocoa in three years have come about just at a time when consumers are finding chocolate prices declining at volume retailers. The futures price of cocoa on the London International Financial Futures and...

Subway Japan tries new express service for takeout orders.
May 25, 2002... Subway Japan is trying to boost sales and shorten waiting times by setting up Express Counters just for takeout orders. Two shops in Minato-ku, Tokyo have each set up a second sandwich preparation line, a model that Subway will expand if...

East Japan Kiosk sets up soup shop in JR Ueno Station.
May 25, 2002... East Japan Kiosk, which runs newspaper and food stands in railway stations, has set up a restaurant in JR Ueno Station serving soup along with rice, bread and drinks. The new location of Soup Stock Tokyo, part of a chain run by Tokyo-based...

GBC and Brain Works launch new type pork cutlet bowl restaurant.
May 25, 2002... GBC and Brain Works have launched a new type pork cutlet bowl restaurant chain called Donkatsu. The companies plan to open 100 restaurants in three years. GBC's affiliate Ikeguchi is a meat seller that will supply the chain. Brain Works...

Dynac expands Japanese style restaurant chains.
May 25, 2002... Dynac will expand its Japanese style restaurant chains Hibiki and Zenmaru and yakitori pub Toridori. These are the most profitable of Dynac's existing chains. The company will increase its number of Japanese style restaurants to 101 by...

Toho, Hattori Coffee Foods and Kuze jointly launch new commercial-use food brand.
May 25, 2002... Toho, Hattori Coffee Foods and Kuze have jointly launched the Trize brand of commercial foods. The three jointly plan, produce and sell. By using high quality foodstuffs and offering authentic flavors the partners are trying to gain...

Sumitomo Corporation announces boxed meal home delivery service for seniors.
May 25, 2002... Sumitomo Corporation has announced its entry into a business in home delivery of boxed meals for seniors. The company has invested about 300 million yen in X-Vinn, raising its share from 4.55% to 34%. X-Vinn has been offering boxed meals...

Shin Chori Gijutsu Kyogikai holds class to teach low-temperature vacuum cooking.
May 25, 2002... Shin Chori Gijutsu Kyogikai, a council of major hotel chefs, kitchen device makers and others recently held a class and party to demonstrate low-temperature vacuum cooking of Japanese, Western and Chinese cuisine. The technique was developed...

Watami Food announces operating profits of 3.7 billion yen.
May 25, 2002... Watami Food Service has estimated consolidated operating profits of 3.7 billion yen for FY2002, which is about the same as the previous year. That fell short of earlier estimates of 4.3 billion yen. Sales will come to 42.5 billion yen, a...

Aeon reaches highest current profits of 110 billion yen.
May 25, 2002... Aeon (formally Jusco) has reported record consolidated current profits of 110 billion yen, a gain of 26%. It had earlier predicted 100 billion yen. It has become the third retail sales company to earn consolidated current profits over 100...

Omusubi Kororin by Shimadzu Machinery Works.
May 25, 2002... Omusubi Kororin is a compact system that packs rice into balls, or onigiri, by a rolling process rather than with a mold. Made by Shimadzu Machinery Works, it makes 720 rice balls per hour and cleans up easily.

Pousser soft ice cream former by Chubu Corporation.
May 25, 2002... Chubu Corporation offers the Pousser manual soft ice cream former/dispenser. One starts by placing a special cup packed with ice cream (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, melon or green tea with adzuki beans). With a push of the handle, a...

Resin tumblers without endocrinal disruptors from Noritake Coordinate Ware.
May 25, 2002... Noritake Coordinate Ware manufactures Noritake COP Tumblers in blue and sepia (620 yen for 340cc, 500 yen for 200cc) and clear (600 yen for 340cc, 480 yen for 200cc). Made with COP resin, the tumblers contain no endocrinal disruptors. Their...

Arcoc Cabernet Series wine glasses from Arc International.
May 25, 2002... The Arcoc Cabernet Series of wineglasses is intended for commercial use. Each of the two forms (tulip and balloon) is designed for swirling the wine and holding in its aroma. The edge feels smooth but the glass is durable. The 250cc tulip...

Ice cube substitute from Maximum.
May 25, 2002... Lite Cube is a 35mm cube with a light-emitting device in the center wrapped with ice substitute and covered by reinforced clear plastic. When the cube is knocked, it causes the device to emit red or orange light. Manufacturer Maximum, which...

Asshi Mat an electric mat for warming feet.
May 25, 2002... Silk Industry sells the Asshi Mat. Japanese homes and restaurants have kotatsu, low, covered tables with heaters underneath, but these do not warm the guests' feet. The thin and lightweight mat sells for 26,000 yen. Inflammable material...

Nutritious broccoli sprouts from Murakami Farm.
May 25, 2002... Broccoli Super Sprout has more than 20 times the antioxidants as regular broccoli. Murakami Noen sells the sprouts in 10-packs, each 50g pack selling for 200 yen. The sprouts are fine for cooking.

New Item in Fuji Foods noodle soup Tetsujin Series.
May 25, 2002... Fuji Foods offers Tantanmen Soup no Moto, a sharp and spicy ramen soup base that uses several kinds of sesame and raw cayenne pepper. The user can add it to chicken bone soup stock to make Szechuan-style Tantanmen or mix it into original...

Freeze-dried porridge with 100% sprouted brown rice from Hakata Genkai.
May 25, 2002... Hatsuga Genmai Kayu is rice porridge made from additive-free Akita Komachi sprouted brown rice cooked with natural salt. Hakata Genkai lists the product at 200 yen for 15g. Made with 100% sprouted brown rice, it makes a good light dish...

Ajinomoto releases two commercial-use consomme products.
May 25, 2002... Ajinomoto has released two kinds of commercial-use consomme products. First, Gyomuyo Ajinomoto KK Consomme Chicken Type is a simple chicken consomme and it can be used in various ways in Western, Japanese or Chinese cuisine as a soup base or...

Ajinomoto launches new series of commercial-use seasoning.
May 25, 2002... Ajinomoto has launched the new Oishiku Kenko Series ("delicious and healthy series") as a new type of commercial-use seasoning. Among the early products in the series is Gyomuyo Hondashi Katsuodashi Katsuo Calcium Kyoka (commercial-use...

Ajinomoto adds three new items to commercial-use Kakedare Kobo series of sauces.
May 25, 2002... Ajinomoto has added three new items to the Kakedare Kobo sauce series. The series has new-style Japanese sauces and Korean and other ethnic style sauces. The series has been very popular. The new items are Komi Gomashiodare, a Korean-style...

Ajinomoto adds two new items to commercial use soup stock.
May 25, 2002... Ajinomoto has added two new items to the popular Ajinomoto KK Gyomuyo Feijan Series. In the ramen noodle soup market, more than 60% is soy sauce or salt flavor. The company has released items that can make the recently popular tonkotsu-...

Lucky Coffee Machine launches new coffee brewer.
May 25, 2002... Lucky Coffee Machine has launched Caldo, a new type of coffee brewer using hot air. The product prevents the coffee from boiling down while it is being kept warm and it preserves the freshly extracted flavor. Usually boiled down coffee...

Kewpie releases commercial-use special meal products.
May 25, 2002... Kewpie has developed commercial-use special meal products based on a home-use version. The products come in retort pouches so that they are sanitary and easy to use. At hospitals and other facilities, the process of cutting up and straining...

MOS Food Service offers stick-type cake and Tandoori Chicken Burger at MOS Burger Shops.
May 25, 2002... MOS Food Service has started selling three kinds of Stick Cake and Yasai Marine to Hinadori no Tandoori Chicken Burger. The Stick Cake is a stick-type dessert cake so it is easy to eat any time and suitable for takeout. There are three...

Showa Sangyo releases pork ravioli without additives.
May 25, 2002... Showa Sangyo has released five items in a series of additive-free commercial-use frozen foods. Mutenka Pork Ravioli comes in five 500g bags and ships in a set of two. Mutenka Wonton Chinese dumplings with meat stuffing comes in eight...

Ebara Shokuhin releases commercial-use Korean-style cold noodle soup.
May 25, 2002... Ebara Shokuhin has released a commercial-use Korean-style cold noodle soup, Honkaku Tori Reimen Soup. It includes a generous portion of chicken broth with tuna stock added for taste. The PET bottle (890g) sells for 580 yen and there is...

Japan Tobacco adds five items to frozen food Hanjo Yamucha Series.
May 25, 2002... Japan Tobacco has added five new items to its Hanjo Yamucha line of commercial-use frozen foods. They include Hakoiri Okowa (Kaisen), steamed rice with dried shrimp, scallops, squid and green soybeans in a rectangular box made with...

Mitsukan releases seasoned vinegar for sushi and dressing products.
May 25, 2002... Mitsukan Group has released commercial-use seasoning products. They include vinegar for seasoning sushi: Sushisu Otegaru! Sushisu Koshokuyo ("easy to use seasoning vinegar, single serving size") ships in ten packs of 15ml x 30 units (4500...

Nissui releases commercial-use frozen food products.
May 25, 2002... Nissui has released frozen food products for volume food stores and restaurants. They are Cha-han Base, Pilaf Base, Ketchup Rice, Hatsuga Genmai-iri Yaki Onigiri and Shako Yaki Onigiri. Cha-han Base uses Kinka Ham (a high-quality...

Maruhachi Muramatsu updates commercial-use soup series.
May 25, 2002... Maruhachi Muramatsu has updated its commercial-use soup series. The products are improved in taste and they dissolve easier for large-scale cooking. The company has also checked the safety of beef extract it uses in its beef consomme....

Nippon Sanso releases 11 commercial-use frozen foods.
May 25, 2002... Nippon Sanso has released 11 commercial-use frozen food products such as Frec Tokusen Tsuyobi Chahan. This is a fried rice cooked on a strong flame for good flavor and green onion is added at the end. The product is for microwave heating....

Mitsukan releases commercial-use seasoning products.
May 25, 2002... Mitsukan Group has released commercial-use seasoning products such as Umadashi. Umadashi uses lighter-colored soy sauce as a base and contains dried bonito shavings, dried small fish stock, dried mackerel shavings and kelp in balance....

Sapporo Breweries releases 10 flavors in Cocktail Conk line.
May 25, 2002... Sapporo Breweries has begun selling 10 new flavors in its Cocktail Conk line for commercial users. The line comes in easy-grip 1800ml PET bottles with labels that peel off to facilitate recycling. The line comes in two series. The...

Sapporo Breweries launches Saika liqueur in 720ml clear bottle.
May 25, 2002... Saika liqueur from Sapporo Breweries is now available in a 720ml clear bottle. It was earlier released for commercial use in a 20-liter bag-in-box. The colorless liqueur is mild with low sweetness and is 25% alcohol. It can be used as the...

Daito Giken system efficiently separates grease from leftovers, dishes.
May 25, 2002... Daito Giken has created a system built into a sink to separate oil from kitchen leftovers and dishes without consuming too much space or costing too much. Capacity is the equivalent of 1000-2000 meals served daily. When broth from a bowl of...