日本食品行業(yè)

TRENDS

INFOODTECH

ANDSUSTAINABLEFOOD

IN

JAPANOfficialProgramPartner1TRENDSINFOODTECHANDSUSTAINABLEFOODSINJAPANDate:20.06.2023Language:EnglishNumberofpages:

49Authors:LuciaVancuraandChisaOgura,MerosConsultingSwissBusinessHub

JapanDISCLAIMERTheinformationinthisreportwasgatheredandresearchedfromsourcesbelieved

to

bereliableandis

writtenin

goodfaith.SwitzerlandGlobalEnterpriseanditsnetwork

partnerscannotbe

heldliableforthedata,whichmightnot

be

complete,accurate,oruptodate;norfor

data

frominternetpages/sourceson

whichSwitzerlandGlobalEnterpriseor

itsnetworkpartnersdo

nothave

anyinfluence.The

informationinthis

reportdoesnothave

a

legalor

juridicalcharacter,unlessspecificallynoted.2CONTENTSCONTENTS

______________________________________________________________________________________

3LISTOFFIGURES

________________________________________________________________________________

51.2.3.FOREWORD________________________________________________________________________________

6EXECUTIVESUMMARY

______________________________________________________________________

7INTRO

TO

JAPANESESUSTAINABLEFOODTRENDSANDFOODTECHDEVELOPMENT

______________

104.PLANT-BASEDDAIRY

______________________________________________________________________

114.1Recentdevelopments

___________________________________________________________________

114.1.1

Keydevelopmentsand

featuresofthemarket

__________________________________________________

114.1.2

Plant-basedmilkandyogurt

______________________________________________________________

114.1.3

Plant-basedcheese,butter,andotherdairyproducts______________________________________________

124.2.4.3Opportunities

________________________________________________________________________

13Examples

of

major

productsinthe

market_____________________________________________________

145.PLANT-BASEDMEAT_______________________________________________________________________

125.1.Recentdevelopments

___________________________________________________________________

125.1.1.

Keydevelopmentsand

featuresofthemarket

__________________________________________________

125.1.3.

Trendsanddynamics

amongkey

domesticplayers

_______________________________________________

145.1.4.

Trendsanddynamics

amongkey

internationalplayers

____________________________________________

155.2.5.3.Opportunities

________________________________________________________________________

15Examples

of

major

productsinthe

market_____________________________________________________

166.CULTIVATEDMEAT

________________________________________________________________________

176.1.Recentdevelopments

___________________________________________________________________

176.1.1.

Keydevelopmentsand

featuresofthemarket

__________________________________________________

176.1.2.

Consumerawareness

___________________________________________________________________

176.1.3.

Regulatorylandscape

___________________________________________________________________

186.1.4.

Keyplayers__________________________________________________________________________

196.2.6.3.Opportunities

________________________________________________________________________

20Case

studies:

Japan’scultivatedmeatsector

___________________________________________________

217.INSECT-BASEDFOODS

_____________________________________________________________________

227.1.Recentdevelopment

___________________________________________________________________

227.1.1.

Keydevelopmentsand

featuresofthemarket

__________________________________________________

227.1.2.

Keyproducts_________________________________________________________________________

237.1.3.

Keyplayers__________________________________________________________________________

2437.2.7.3.Opportunities

________________________________________________________________________

25Examples

of

major

productsinthe

market_____________________________________________________

278.ALGAE

___________________________________________________________________________________

288.1.Recentdevelopments

___________________________________________________________________

288.1.1.

Keydevelopmentsand

featuresofthemarket

__________________________________________________

288.1.2.

Keyplayers__________________________________________________________________________

298.2.8.3.Opportunities

________________________________________________________________________

30Examples

of

major

productsinthe

market_____________________________________________________

319.SUSTAINABLYSOURCED

CHOCOLATE

_______________________________________________________

328.3.Recentdevelopmentsand

opportunities

______________________________________________________

322..1.

Keydevelopments,featuresofthemarket,andmajorplayers

________________________________________

329.1.2.

Sustainablechocolatewithinthe

premiumchocolatesegment

_______________________________________

329.1.3.

Mainstreamingof

sustainably

sourcedchocolate

________________________________________________

339.1.4.

Keydomesticplayersandtheirsustainabilityefforts

______________________________________________

349.1.5.

Internationalplayers

___________________________________________________________________

359.2.9.3.Opportunities

________________________________________________________________________

35Examples

of

major

productsinthe

market_____________________________________________________

3610.RECOMMENDATIONSANDNEXT

STEPSFORAPPROACHINGTHEMARKET

________________________

3710.1.

Keyconclusionsonopportunities___________________________________________________________

3710.2.

Steps

toentertheJapanmarket____________________________________________________________

3810.2.1.

Checklist

ofpointsto

considerfor

companies

interestedinexpandingintotheJapanmarket

__________________

3810.2.2.

Remarksonregulatoryconcerns

___________________________________________________________

4011.READYFORJAPANANDNEEDSUPPORT?

____________________________________________________

4112.ANNEXES_________________________________________________________________________________

4212.1.

Keycompetentauthorities

fortradeand

exportin

Japan___________________________________________

4212.2.

Keyfoodexposand

trade

showsinJapan

_____________________________________________________

4312.3.

MajorJapanesefood

importers/distributors

__________________________________________________

4412.4.

Majorspecialtyfoodretailers

_____________________________________________________________

464LIST

OFFIGURESFigure

1.Estimatedmarketvolumeofmilk

andplant-based

milk11Figure

2.Dailyproteinconsumptionpercapitain

Japan,

1989-2021

12Figure

3.

(Left)Percapitaconsumptionof

meat,seafood,

andsoybeans,

1989-2019;

(Right)Meatconsumptionin

Japan,202113Figure

4.

Key

players

drivingthe

cultivatedmeat

industryinJapan

19Figure

5.

Notablecollaborations

in

the

Japanesecultivated

meat

eco-system

19Figure

6.Majorinvestmentsby

Japanese

playersintooverseascultivatedmeat

start-ups20Figure

7.

Growthof

theinsect-basedfoodmarket

in

Japan,

2019-2022

22Figure

8.Japan’simportvolume

of

insect-basedfood,2022

23Figure

9.Marketshareofinsect-basedfoods

in

Japanbycompany,

2021

24Figure

10.Thethreemajormicroalgaespecies

in

the

Japanese

market

29Figure

11.The

majormicroalgae

playersin

the

Japanesemarket

30Figure

12.Key

playersin

the

Japanesechocolateindustry

3451.

FOREWORDThankyouforyour

interestinour

marketreportonthedynamicand

thrivingfoodindustryinJapan.Japan’s

food

landscape

is

a

captivating

fusion

of

tradition

and

innovation,

where

culinary

excellence

meets

sustainability

andconsumer-driventrends.Japan

is

amongthe136countries

thathavepledgedto

reachnetzeroemissionsby

2050asaclimatechangemitigationgoal.Japan

has

a

strong

tradition

of

consuming

both

local

and

seasonal

foods.

This

practice

can

align

with

sustainability

principles

byreducingcarbon

footprints

within

the

foodsystem.

In

addition,

the

Japanese

food

industry

is

vigorously

tackling

a

variety

of

differ-entissuessuchas

sustainablefarming,foodwaste

reduction,eco-friendlypackaging,andfoodeducationandawareness.Offering

plant-based

and

alternative

protein

products

is

one

of

the

notable

moves

within

the

Japanese

food

industry.

These

productscatertothegrowinginterestinplant-baseddietsandalternativeproteinsources

in

Japan.

Thisinterestisdrivenbyacombinationof

factors,

including

health

and

wellness

concerns,

environmental

consciousness,

and

a

desire

to

explore

new

and

innovative

foodoptions.Inrecentyears,

there

has

been

asignificantincrease

in

theavailabilityofplant-basedproductsinJapan.

Japanese

foodcompaniesare

diversifying

their

product

portfolios

to

include

plant-based

and

alternativefoodoptions.

Bothdomestic

andinternationalcom-panieshavebeen

introducingnewproducts

tailoredto

Japanese

tastes

andculinarypreferences.Collaborations

between

traditional

Japanese

food

companies

and

plant-based

or

alternative

food

start-ups,

as

well

as

between

Jap-anese

and

non-Japanese

food

companies

and

start-ups,

are

becoming

more

common.

This

enables

combining

expertise

in

foodmanufacturingwithinnovative

technologiesfromaround

theworld.This

report

aims

to

provide

an

overview

of

the

market,

shedding

light

on

key

trends

and

emerging

opportunities

for

Swiss

companies.As

we

navigatetheever-changinggloballandscape,

understandingthenuancesoftheJapanesefoodindustryis

essentialfor

Swissbusinesses

seeking

toestablish

a

foothold,

expand

their

operations,

or

collaborate

with

local

partners.

By

equipping

yourself

withthe

knowledge

and

insights

presented

in

this

report,

you

will

gain

a

basic

understanding

of

the

opportunities

and

challenges

that

liewithinJapan’svibrantsustainablefoodmarket.We

extend

our

gratitude

to

the

industry

experts

and

research

analysts

whose

dedication

and

expertise

made

this

report

possible.We

hope

that

this

market

report

serves

as

a

valuable

resource,

empowering

you

tomake

the

next

step

in

your

successful

ventureswithinJapan’sdynamicand

evolvingfoodindustry.SwissBusiness

HubJapan62.

EXECUTIVESUMMARYGlobaldemandforsustainablefoodsisgrowing,withno

expectation

ofslowing.

This

demandfor

sustainableproductscoversawide

varietyof

both

traditionalproducts,such

aschocolate,aswellas

interestinnovelfoods

suchas

plant-basedmeat,plant-baseddairy,

and

otheralternativeproteins.This

reportfocuses

onthe

currentsituationinJapan

for

sustainablefoodand

foodtechinnovation.This

is

amarketwhere

Swisscompanies

haveastrongpositionin

chocolateandcheese.Thereis

potentialtobreakinto

manyothersustainablefoodareasinJapan

forSwiss

companies

who

arepersistent,patient,andwillingto

learnabouttheJapanmarketandbuildrelationships.Inthisreport,we

lookatsix

major

areasof

foodinnovationthathavebeen

attractingattentioninthe

pastfew

years.

Plant-baseddairyPlant-basedmeatCultivatedmeatEdibleinsectsAlgaeSustainablysourced

chocolateThis

report

offers

a

market

overview

of

each

of

these

sectors

and

examples

of

key

players

and

products.

It

also

provides

a

basic

roadmap

and

checklist

for

Swiss

companies

to

consider

as

they

develop

their

market

entry

plan

for

Japan,

as

well

as

key

resourcesavailabletoSwisscompanies

interestedinthe

Japan

market.Japanese

consumers

have

tended

to

prioritize

health

messaging

over

messages

ofsustainability,

ethical

consumption,

orenvironmental

welfarewhen

makingchoicesabout

food.TheJapanese

dietand

lifestylehavechanged

significantly

inthelast

twodecades,

with

a

particularly

steep

decline

in

seafood

consumption.

This

trend,

coupled

with

the

rapidly

aging

population,

hasgenerated

worries

of

a

“protein

crisis”.

This

is

a

factor

behind

the

appeal

of

many

of

the

food

innovations

and

novel

productsappearinginthe

Japanmarkettoday.Healthand

wellnessremain

drivingfactorsinJapan’sfood

innovation.Research

and

innovation

in

Japan

related

to

sustainable

foods

have

been

accelerating

in

the

last

10

years.

Global

pressure

to

ensuresustainable

supply

chains

had

already

been

pushing

Japanese

companies

to

adjust

their

sourcing

patterns,

including

in

majorsectors

such

as

chocolate

and

coffee.

In

2021,

Japan’s

Ministry

of

Agriculture,

Forestry

and

Fisheries

(MAFF)

released

itsSustainable

Food

Systems

Strategy

(MeaDRI),1

motivated

in

part

by

the

ambitious

green

policies

of

the

EU.

The

strategy

aims

fornetzeroemissionsinfoodandagriculture

by2050and

sustainablesourcingforallimportedmaterials

among

othergoals.CharacteristicsThis

report

spotlights

six

very

different

markets

with

different

players

and

market

drivers,

as

well

as

different

potentialopportunitiesforSwiss

innovationand

technology.

Thecharacteristics

ofthese

sectors

aresummarized

here.

Plant-baseddairy:Demandforalternativedairyproductsison

therise,

driven

by

a

needto

increasetheoverallvolumeof

proteinin

theJapanese

diet.Asaresult,boththetraditionaldairymarketas

wellas

theplant-baseddairymarketareexperiencingsignificant

growth,with

consumersshowinginterestin

plant-basedmilksandcheesesfortheirhealthbenefits.

Plant-basedmeat:Plant-based

meat

substitutes

have

a

long

history

in

Japanese

cuisine,

but

a

fresh

wave

of

plant-based

meat

products

hit

themarket

in

the

past

five

years.

Product

development

is

led

by

major

Japanese

companies

in

the

meat

and

soybeanindustry.These

primarily

soy-based

productsappealtoJapanesecustomers’

familiarity

with

soy,

aswell

asgrowinginterestinaddinghealthyprotein

to

dailydiets.1

https://www.maff.go.jp/e/policies/env/env_policy/meadri.html7

Cultivatedmeat:Japan’scultivatedmeatindustryisin

itsearly

stages,witha

relativelyconcentratednumber

ofkeyplayers.Whileseveralcultivatedmeatprototypes

havebeen

created,theindustryis

workingto

clarifytheregulatoryframework

beforelaunchinganycommercialconsumerproducts.The

industryischaracterizedbyitsnetworkofcollaborationsamongkeyplayers,aswellas

morerecentinterestin

partnershipswithoverseas

playersand

investmentsinto

cultivatedmeatbusinessesoverseas.

Edibleinsects:Japan’s

market

for

insect-based

foods

is

growing

rapidly

from

its

small

base,

as

several

major

Japanese

companies

have

seena

potential

business

opportunity

in

insects

as

an

environmentally

friendly

protein

source.

The

market

is

dominated

byproductsusingcricketpowder,oftenimported.

AlgaeJapanese

companies

arethe

pioneersin

mass

cultivationofmicroalgaeforcommercialfood

production.

Themarket

primarilyfocuses

on

three

major

microalgae

species:

euglena,

chlorella,

and

spirulina.

Japanese

companies

are

incorporatingmicroalgae

into

food

products

such

as

pasta,

ice

cream,

and

beverages,

aswell

as

exploring

various

applications

such

as

feed,biofuels,pigments,

andcosmeticingredients.

SustainablysourcedchocolateChocolateconsumptionpercapitainJapanhas

been

steadilyincreasing.Sustainablysourcedchocolateis

increasinglyseen

inmainstreamretail.

Consumerawarenessof

conceptssuch

as“ethical

chocolate”have

increasedinthe

pastfiveyears,andthechocolatemajorsareincreasinglycommittedtosustainablesourcinggoals.KeyOpportunitiesforSwitzerlandSwiss

companieshavea

varietyof

optionsfor

enteringtheJapanmarket,depending

on

their

productsand

goals.Japan’s

marketsfor

innovative,

sustainable

foods

are

growing,

but

the

demand

is

driven

primarily

by

the

products’

perceived

health

benefits.

As

thisreport

has

shown,

within

the

field

of

innovative

and

sustainable

foods,

there

are

a

variety

of

active

Japanese

players

looking

forpartners

and

potential

suppliers.

Switzerland

is

best

positioned

to

take

advantage

of

the

following

three

channels

into

the

Japanmarket:81.

Partner

for

customizedproductdevelopmentandsupply

of

novelsustainablefoodsforconsumptionatJapaneseretail(traditionalore-commerce),including

plant-baseddiaryand

meats,chocolate,algae-basedproducts,and

even

insectproducts.2.

R&D

collaboratortofurtherdevelopcultivatedmeattechnology,

findfunctionalhealthproperties

of

algae,insectsorotherplants,and

supplytechnologiesforaffordable,better-tastingplant-based

products.3.

Ingredientsupplierofnovelorspecializedingredients

forbetter-tastingand

morediverseplant-based

foods.This

caninclude

specializedingredientsfor

creatingshelf-stable

and

tastyplant-based

foods,suchasflavorings,plant-based

fats,andnon-soybaseproteins.Itcanalsomeansupplyingsustainablysourced

chocolatefortheconfectionaryindustryasitworksto

growits

sustainabilitycredibility.There

arealso

clearopportunities

forcooperativeresearchintofunctionalandhealthproperties

ofplants,

algae,

andedibleinsects

aswellas

theirdevelopmentinto

food

products.NextStepsThis

reportoffersachecklist

of

pointsforSwiss

companies

to

consideras

theyplan

theirexpansioninto

Japan.

Thisincludeschecklistsrelatedto:

Preparingfor

Japan:Assessyour

experience

and

motivations.This

willhelpyoubetterdetermine

whatJapan

marketinformationis

mostimportant.ConductingBasicmarket

research:

Any

potentialsellertoJapanneedsto

activelyconductmarketresearchontheirproductcategoryand

its

competitors.Consideringyourexpectations:Therearevarioussales

channels

in

Japan–

traditionalretail,e-commerce,B2Bsales–whichallhavetheirowncharacteristics.Therearealsopotentialpartnershipsfor

R&Dor

localproduction.Preparingfor

regulatorycompliance

if

youwouldliketoexportafoodproduct:

Therewillbeavarietyofinformationand

documentationneeded

foryour

producttobeimportedintoJapan.Developingyourlonger-termmarketingplan:Itis

often

saidthatgettingintothe

Japanmarketonceispossiblebutstayinginthe

marketis

thebiggerchallenge.

Howwillyoucommunicatewith

customers

andencouragerepeatcustomers?

Expectingcultural

differencesinbusinesssituations.Personaltrustandrelationshipbuildingareessential.ExpecttovisitJapan

regularly

tocreatepersonalrelationships.ResourcesThis

reportalsooffersvarious

resourcesand

support

forplanningentryintoJapan,themostimportantlikelyto

be

SwitzerlandGlobalEnterprise

(S-GE)anditslocalpartnerSwiss

BusinessHubJapan.These

organization

canofferavarietyofservicesandadvicetoSwiss

companieswho

arecuriousabouttheJapanesemarketandfeeltheremaybeopportunities

fortheirproducts.Inaddition,thereportlists

relevantgovernmentagenciesto

help

with

regulatoryquestions,lists

oftopimportersandretaileraswell

asthekeytradeshowsinJapan

forsustainable,innovativeandhealthfoodproducts.93.

INTRO

TO

JAPANESE

SUSTAINABLE

FOODTRENDS

ANDFOODTECHDEVELOPMENTJapan

has

been

a

food

innovator

for

centuries.

Many

of

the

ingredients

in

today’s

sustainable

food

discussions,

including

meatsubstitutes,

algae,

and

edible

insects,

have

all

had

an

existing

role

in

Japan’s

traditional

food

culture

for

centuries.

As

discussionheats

up

globally

about

building

more

sustainable

food

systems

and

lowering

the

environmental

impact

of

our

food

choices,

it

isnow

an

excellent

time

to

assess

how

Japan

is

approaching

these

topics,

what

the

domestic

market

may

offer,

and

what

kinds

ofpartnershipsand

researchcollaborationsmaybe

possible.Within

Japan,

the

word

“sustainable”

is

often

used,

especially

in

the

context

of

the

Sustainable

Development

Goals

(SDGs),

theseventeen

goals

designed

in

2015

by

the

United

Nations

as

a

blueprint

for

global

action

towards

planetary

prosperity

and

asustainable

future

for

people

and

the

environment.

The

term

SDGs

is

often

used

in

marketing

in

Japan

to

signal

environmentallypositiveinitiatives,but

recent

research

from

theConsumer

AffairsAgency

findsthat

whilerecognitionisincreasing,fewJapaneseareactuallyawareof

whattheSDGsare.Compared

to

initiatives

in

the

EU

on

sustainability

and

green

food

policies,

the

Japanese

market

has

taken

a

different

track.Japanese

consumers

have

tended

to

prioritize

health

messaging

over

messages

of

sustainability,

ethical

consumption,

orenvironmental

welfarewhen

makingchoicesabout

food.TheJapanese

dietand

lifestylehavechanged

significantly

inthelast

twodecades,

with

a

particularly

steep

decline

in

seafood

(and

protein)

consumption.

This

trend,

coupled

with

the

rapidly

agingpopulationhas

generatedworries

of

a“protein

crisis,”whichthisreport

willshowisafactor

behindthe

appealofmanyofthe

foodinnovations

and

novel

products

appearing

on

the

market

today.

Health

and

wellness

remain

driving

factors

in

Japan’s

foodinnovation.Research

and

innovation

in

Japan

related

to

sustainable

foods

have

been

accelerating

in

the

last

10

years,

with

support

from

thegovernment,

research

institutions,

food

manufacturers,

and

investors

flowing

into

new

areas.

Global

pressure

to

ensure

sustainablesupply

chains

had

already

been

pushing

Japanese

companies

to

adjust

their

sourcing

patterns,

including

in

major

sectors

such

aschocolate

and

coffee.

In

2021,

Japan’s

Ministry

of

Agriculture,

Forestry

and

Fisheries

(MAFF)

released

its

Sustainable

Food

SystemsStrategy

(MeaDRI),2

motivated

in

part

by

the

ambitious

green

policies

of

the

EU.

The

strategy

aims

for

net

zero

emissions

in

foodand

agriculture

by

2050,

sustainable

sourcing

for

all

imported

materials,

and

a

significant

increase

in

organic

farmland,

amongothergoals.In

addition,

the

last

several

years

have

seen

the

government’s

increased

support

for

start-ups

and

innovation

eco-systems

acrossmanyindustries,includingfoodtech,

inordertobe

preparedforthechallengesfacedbyJapan

anditsglobalpartners.Inthisreport,we

lookat

sixmajorareas

offoodinnovationthathavebeenattractingattentioninthepast

fewyears.

Plant-baseddairyPlant-basedmeatCultivatedmeatEdibleinsectsAlgaeSustainablysourced

chocolateThese

are

six

significantly

different

markets

with

different

playersandmarket

drivers.

But

theyall

offer

potentialcontributions

tothe

search

for

more

sustainable

foods

and

food

systems,

aswell

aspotential

opportunities

for

Swiss

innovation

and

technology

tofurthersupporttheirdevelopment.CurrencyWehaveused

the

exchangerateof1CFH=

137.5JPY,theaverageexchangeratefor

2022accordingtoJapan’sMizuho

Bank,forallconversionsbetweenJapaneseyen

andSwissfrancs.2

https://www.maff.go.jp/e/policies/env/env_policy/meadri.html104.

PLANT-BASED

DAIRYDemand

for

alternative

dairy

products

is

on

the

rise,

driven

by

a

need

to

increase

the

overall

volume

of

proteinin

the

Japanese

diet.

As

a

result,

both

the

traditional

dairy

market

as

well

as

the

plant-based

dairy

market

areexperiencing

significant

growth,

with

consumers

showing

interest

in

plant-based

milks

and

cheeses

for

theirhealth

benefits.

This

trend

has

led

to

an

increase

in

imports

of

plant-based

dairy

products,

as

well

as

majordomestic

manufacturers

investing

in

new

ingredients

and

technologies

to

develop

their

own

plant-basedproducts.4.1Recentdevelopments4.1.1Keydevelopmentsand

featuresofthemarketAlternative

dairy

products

are

a

growing

segment

in

the

Japanese

food