Contribution to Extending Healthy Life Expectancy

Vegetables are essential for a healthy diet. However, vegetable intake is chronically insufficient in Japan.
Additionally, the number of dishes on the dinner table is decreasing, especially among younger generations. With busy schedules, meals are simplified and vegetables are not given priority.
To solve this problem, rather than forcing oneself to eat only vegetables, we propose a plan called “With Vegetables” whereby vegetables are incorporated into the diet in a way that suits individual lifestyles and preferences.
Rather than eating vegetables out of a sense of compulsion, we aim to encourage people to adopt a diet that naturally increases vegetable intake by encouraging positive thoughts such as “eating vegetables makes me feel more energetic,” which in turn will motivate behavioral changes.
As a leading salad company, we will collaborate with businesses engaged in home dining, readymade foods, and restaurants to pursue the infinite possibilities of salad.
In FY2025, we will promote proposals combining protein sources and vegetables under the theme “Protein with Vegetables,” and through the proposal of different meal ideas such as power salads and other satisfying, single-plate menus, we will contribute to resolving the issue of low vegetable consumption.

Salads enable us to eat plenty of vegetables, and require thorough chewing. It is well known that the more fiber one eats, the more chewing is required.
The ability to chew is very important for people to enjoy meals throughout life. However, the act of chewing is done semi-unconsciously, and it is difficult for people who have acquired the habit of not chewing to consciously improve it. Kewpie is engaged in joint research with Lotte Co., Ltd. and Wayo Women’s University to raise awareness of the importance of chewing. In 2022, we published a ranking table (in Japanese) that summarizes the results of our joint research on the number of chews typically done for each type of food.

We are working together with Central Sports Co., Ltd., who share our belief in the importance of nutrition, physical activity, and social participation as three key elements of lifelong health.
We communicate the importance of nutrition and exercise through Central Sports dietary education events and the Kewpie website, so that everyone from children to older people can live a healthy life.

We launched a joint project called Salad and Egg Recipes and Healthy Kitchen with the ABC Cooking Studio, which shares our desire to contribute to healthy dietary lifestyles. In response to dietary issues such as a lack of vegetables and protein, and excess salt, the two companies leverage their respective strengths and expertise to provide information on healthy dietary lifestyles related to salads and eggs, through web content and one-day lessons.
In March 2023, we published a Report on Salad and Egg Recipes and Health 2023, which summarizes our research on health awareness and concerns, and issues when preparing salad and egg dishes.

As health consciousness is growing in China, Kewpie China (rendered 丘比 in Chinese), which aims to contribute to diets and health in China, is conducting health promotion activities across the country in collaboration with food science societies and other organizations, utilizing research results from both Japan and China.
We also maintain efforts in the produce sections of stores to raise awareness of the health functions of vegetables and to draw attention to salads. We are expanding these activities from Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, to the rest of the country.

In 2013, Kewpie began research into the prevention of cancer through diet. In 2019, we commenced joint research with Yokohama National University and Tokyo Medical University to determine future cancer risks. By measuring a component called microRNA present in blood, we aim to determine future cancer risks and prevent disease through dietary recommendations that improve microRNA expression.
The Technology Development Project on Next-Generation Artificial Intelligence Evolving Together with Humans (2020–2024) led by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) has concluded, and at present, we are promoting additional research aimed at commercialization.

Kewpie's fine chemicals business provides a variety of food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products, including the acetic acid bacteria enzymes created as a result of our vinegar-related research as well as egg yolk lecithin and lysozyme. Researched for over 30 years, hyaluronic acid is a core material in the business, and Kewpie has the largest domestic sales volume according to the 2023 Fuji Economic Survey.

Kewpie is the only manufacturer in Japan that produces hyaluronic acid in two ways; extracting it from the rooster comb and through microbial fermentation. Making use of our strengths in molecular weight control technology and modification technology, we continue to provide technological support to satisfy the needs of our customers.