Contribution to Extending Healthy Life Expectancy
Initiatives Toward Extending Healthy Lifespans
The University of Tokyo Institute of Gerontology promotes three pillars to prevent frailty, which is key to achieving healthy longevity: nutrition, exercise and social participation. In fact, this applies to all generations, not just the elderly.
It is important to incorporate all three of these pillars, not just one, into your lifestyle cycle.
The Kewpie Group is focused on "nutrition" in particular. We aim to contribute to extending healthy life expectancies by supporting nutritionally balanced and delicious diets with vegetables and egg products.


Supporting Health Through Diet and Exercise!
We are working together with Central Sports Co., Ltd., who share our belief in the importance of nutrition, physical activity and social participation as the three elements of leading a healthy life.
In response to demand from gym goers and instructors who want an affordable and effective way to consume protein, we hold food workshops and provide menus and health information to participants.

Raising Awareness of the Importance of Chewing
In recent years, soft foods that require less chewing have been on the rise. Soft foods have caused a decline in "chewing ability," and the effects of this decline on the body* are said to be manifold. LOTTE Co., Ltd., and Wayo Women's University are engaged in joint research to raise awareness of the importance of chewing. Kewpie's own research has clarified the effects of the amount of water contained in foods and heat treatment on foods on the number of chews and identified the food groups with the highest number of chews.
*For example, it has been reported that the prevalence of diabetes is lower the higher the chewing ability.
Toru Y et al., Mastication and Risk for Diabetes in a Japanese Population: A Cross-Sectional Study. PLOS ONE(2013) Volume 8, Issue 6
Lecture Events Themed on Food
Communicating correct information about food and the importance and joy of food is one of our most crucial roles.
In our hope to contribute to healthy and enjoyable dietary habits, we send employees out to give lectures themed on food that provide correct information on diet and health.
We currently have three different programs; "The Appeal of Vegetables" features content designed to stimulate interest in those who attend by watching DVDs on vegetable nutrition and ideal intake as well as showing cooking methods that participants can put into practice in their everyday lives.
We've received comments such as, "I'll plan my meals with 350g of vegetables per day in mind," or "I learned about the broad appeal of vegetables and how to enjoy them at the dinner table," indicating that this program conveys the appeal of vegetables.
Nursing Care Events
In 1998, Kewpie released Japan's first retail nursing care foods. In 2005, Japan became the world's first super-aged society and the need for nursing care foods continues to rise.
We hold study sessions with professionals involved in the nursing care field as well as students to facilitate greater understanding of foods for the elderly and universal design foods. We also hold events for the general public.
Tamago Star In-house Certification System
In FY2019, we started the internal certification program "Tamago Star."
We will increase the number of people across the entire Kewpie Group who can talk about eggs, and we are aiming to become the "Leading Company for Eggs."
Tamago Star is accredited to those who have attended a study session for correctly communicating knowledge about eggs and have acquired 3-Star Tamarie certification (Nihon RangyoKyokai Association).
Going forward, those accredited will take on the role of awareness-raising activities to communicate the appeal of eggs, both inside and outside the company.

Tamago Star certificate
Egg White Paper
Conducted since 2017, the "Egg White Paper" is a research report analyzing perceptions, eating styles, and trends regarding eggs. We use the results of the questionnaire on what people find attractive about eggs and their favorite egg dishes to cultivate accurate knowledge about eggs and suggest ways to enjoy egg dishes.

Initiatives in Collaboration with The University of Tokyo Institute of Gerontology

The University of Tokyo Institute of Gerontology
In partnership with The University of Tokyo Institute of Gerontology, we participate in food consortiums with other companies that hold similar aspirations. Our aim is to work together and coordinate as an industry to improve foods for the elderly. Based on the three pillars for lifelong health, we strive to develop new industry-academia business models at the consortiums and promote the discovery and sound development of various industries that can help prevent frailty.
Presentation of the Results of a Joint Study with Matsumoto City in Nagano Prefecture and Matsumoto University

Explaining the research to the participants
A healthy life expectancy is strongly related to diet, and to prevent lifestyle-related diseases, it is said we need to avoid excessive salt intake and eat plenty of vegetables.
Residents of Nagano Prefecture are known for their longevity and high intake of vegetables, so to make healthy diet recommendations, we carried out a joint study with Matsumoto City in Nagano Prefecture on the diet and health of its citizens.
In addition to the analysis of the study, we carried out joint research with Matsumoto University on how eating salads (vegetables) and eggs is connected to health awareness, motor function, and state of health. We presented our results at the 9th World Health Capital Conference (October 17, 2019), 8th Academic Conference of Japanese Society of Shokuiku (May 23, 2020), and 67th Annual Meeting of Japanese Society of Nutrition and Dietetics (September 2, 2020).
Going forward, we will present our results in a research paper and make recommendations for healthy diets.
Joint Study with the Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
In 2016, Kewpie signed a comprehensive partnership (Shibuya Social Action Partner Agreement, or S-SAP) with Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. Since then, we have worked together on initiatives to promote eating vegetables, such as by proposing Shibuya's original salad called "#SHIBUSALA."
Now, with support from Shibuya-ku, we will be conducting a joint study with the Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology. The study will focus on how much vegetables and proteins, such as eggs, are consumed by the ward residents. We will use the results obtained from an analysis of the study to make recommendations for a healthy diet.
Effect of Hen's Egg Intake on Cognitive Function
We applied for the "FY2021 Innovation Creation Enhancement Research Promotion Project"*1 offered by the Bio-oriented Technology Research Advancement Institution (hereafter "BRAIN"), and the project was awarded*2 under the title of "Research on hen's eggs' ability to improve cognitive function and development of value-added hen's eggs to expand the egg market." In the "Applied Research Stage" and alongside five other institutes*3, Kewpie aims to clarify the effects of hen's eggs on cognitive function and jointly develop value-added eggs that contain high levels of these functional ingredients. The purpose of this project is to clarify the "cognitive function improvement effect" of hen's egg intake, to identify the components involved in this improvement, and to confirm the effect in human studies.
*1The R&D project is open to proposals and focuses on promoting R&D through the accumulation and utilization of knowledge to generate innovative technologies, products, and services that defy common wisdom.
*2Result of the review of the public solicitation for "FY2021 Innovation Creation Enhancement Research Promotion Project."
*3Collaborating research institutes: The University of Tokyo, Tokyo Medical University, Kanagawa Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, and National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO)
Health-Focused Products
The Kewpie Group has historically worked to spread what was then a new food culture of eating vegetables as salads. As such, the company grew hand-in-hand with the expansion of salad menus. Going forward, we will continue to research and develop products so that we can contribute to the diet and health of all generations as everyone's dietary partner.
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Fine Chemicals Business |
Food Allergy Initiatives
In recent years food allergies have been on the rise in Japan and other developed countries, and we believe this is an important issue for food manufacturers to address. We are engaged in various efforts to enable more people to enjoy their food.
Ingredient Labelling
Focused on providing easy-to-understand labeling to its customers at a glance, Kewpie provides a summary of the allergens included in its products (the seven legally specified ingredients and 20 items recommended for labelling). Our baby-food products include labelling on the front listing use of seven highly critical or prevalent food allergens: eggs, dairy, wheat, shrimp, crab, buckwheat, and peanuts.

Baby Foods Free of Seven Common Food Allergens
We are developing baby foods that do not contain the seven common food allergens, using ingredients such as wheat-free soy sauce.
Egg-Free Mayonnaise-Type Condiments
In spring 2014, to cater to students with egg allergies Kewpie launched an egg-free mayonnaise-style condiment for commercial use in school meals. After it went on sale, we perceived a growing household need for such products and in February 2015 we launched an egg-free mayonnaise-type condiment on the consumer market. We will continue contributing to better diets by creating products that society needs.

HOBOTAMA
To realize our ambition to deliver the great taste and properties of egg and support a bright future for children, we have developed the plant-based food product HOBOTAMA. This product can be a good substitute for those who cannot eat eggs for various reasons, including allergies.

Egg Allergy Research
Egg Allergy Prevention through Eating
Food allergies cause reactions such as hives and breathing difficulties, and egg allergy is thought to be especially common in babies. Previously it was thought that consumption of foods causing allergies should be avoided, but recent research* has revealed that starting to feed babies small amounts soon after they are weaned is an effective way of preventing the onset of allergies.
The Kewpie Group is working with specialist medical institutions to study ways of using less allergenic eggs created by heating, etc. and linking their use to safer diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of egg allergy. We will continue to support the discovery of new methods for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

Less allergenic egg ingredients created by heat treatment.
*In 2016, the National Center for Child Health and Development presented the results of research on egg allergy prevention. A study of 121 infants suffering from atopic dermatitis showed that with proper skin treatment, the incidence of egg allergy at one year of age in babies that ate small quantities of powder made with heat-treated eggs from the age of six months was 8%, compared to 38% for babies that did not eat the powder, demonstrating the effectiveness of this technique.
Initiatives in Medicine
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 2017 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.

Kewpie's first medical device is K Smart, a submucosal injectable for endoscopic therapies
Kewpie's hyaluronic acid is used in a variety of pharmaceuticals, including as a material for agents improving joint function, and in medical eye drops. Using the manufacturing and quality control knowhow gained through these initiatives, Kewpie is developing a business focused on the planning and development of medical devices using hyaluronic acid.
Sodium hyaluronate is used in the endoscopic injectable material, which is a medical device used in endoscopic surgeries to remove cancerous lesions discovered at an early stage in the stomach, esophagus and colon before the cancer spreads beyond the mucosal layer of the gastrointestinal tract. The viscosity of the hyaluronic acid helps to separate the mucosal layer from the muscle layer and by maintaining that state assists in either improving detachment or resecting of the lesion. By helping to treat cancer in its early stages through the use of endoscopes, Kewpie is working to extend healthy life expectancy.
Kewpie also offers products that can be used the day before the test by those taking colorectal exams and visiting medical institutions.
Initiatives Toward Pre-Symptomatic Illnesses (Cancer Prevention)
Kewpie began research on preventing cancer through diet in 2013, and in 2018, began research to determine cancer risk.
By measuring a component called microRNA in the blood, we determine the risk of cancer and aim to realize disease prevention through dietary proposals that improve the expression of microRNA. To this end, we are currently working with YOKOHAMA National University and Tokyo Medical University on a project called "Technology Development Project on Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Evolving with Human Beings," which is led by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

Contribution to Extending Healthy Life Expectancy Overseas
Through our overseas initiatives, we hope to contribute to people's health, in both body and mind, all over the world. By understanding each country's lifestyle and the history and culture of their diet, we strive to meet their needs and offer new tastes and culinary opportunities with the Kewpie Group's great taste, empathy, and uniqueness.
Development of Products that Align with the Food Culture of Each Country
The Kewpie Group aims to maintain the original taste of our Japanese mayonnaise while also focusing on developing condiments at our overseas locations that go well with local ingredients and dishes.
In China, we developed a sweet type of mayonnaise that goes well with fruit salads, and the product is now widely used. Furthermore, we also developed a dressing that goes well with a mixed vegetable dish commonly eaten in northern China. The product is now incredibly popular in Beijing.
In Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, we produce Halal certified products and sell them in the local markets and neighboring countries where food is increasingly becoming westernized.
In this way, we develop products that meet the needs of each country and offer great taste to people across the world.

Left: Sweet Type Mayonnaise
Right: Mix Vegetable Salad Dressing

Kewpie Mayonnaise Japanese Style
(halal-certified)
Nutritional Supplement Product Using Calcium from Egg Shells
In Vietnam, insufficient intake of calcium is increasing osteoporosis cases (a health condition that causes bones to weaken), and it is becoming a social issue. Kewpie conducted a joint research with the National Institute of Nutrition in Hanoi on Vietnamese women. Based on the results of the basic research, Kewpie Vietnam released a nutritional supplement product using calcium from egg shells (calcium carbonate derived from egg shells) in December 2017. Since rice is a staple food in Vietnam, users can include the supplement when cooking rice to easily add calcium to their diet.
A similar product is also available in Japan under the name "Genki na Hone" (Healthy Bones).

Left: Sachet type (10 x 10 ml sachets)
Right: Bottle type (1 L)

Sampling promotion in a Vietnamese rice store.
Food and Health Awareness Activities in China
In response to growing health awareness in China in recent years, we would like to contribute to diets and health in China. In collaboration with the "Food and Health Research Work Committee" of the Shanghai Society of Food Science, we are implementing health promotion activities for companies and the public informed by academic research conducted in Japan.
Additionally, we have launched activities to focus attention on salads at store vegetable counters while educating people about the health benefits of vegetables, and we are expanding our business throughout China, starting with Shanghai.

Food and Health Awareness Activities (Shanghai)