Supplier Quality Initiatives
Quality of raw materials and contract-manufactured products
Good products begin with good ingredients
Kewpie Group cherishes the belief of Kewpie founder, Toichiro Nakashima, that "Good products begin with good ingredients" and thoroughly implements Quality-First at every stage, from raw material procurement to product manufacturing, packaging, sales, and safety evaluation. By directly involving the company and its group companies in every process, the group takes full responsibility for quality. At the heart of this is the commitment to "delivering good products," a principle that has remained unwavering since the company's founding.
What is important for obtaining good ingredients
Our suppliers are regularly visited by specialists who share our fundamental manufacturing philosophy and work together to implement improvements. For new business relationships, we communicate our commitment to quality and our philosophy, and we also verify their manufacturing environment. We check whether measures are in place to prevent foreign object contamination and whether they can supply high-quality raw materials, ensuring we only work with suppliers we can trust and collaborate with.
Quality communication with raw material suppliers and contract manufacturers
Based on our belief in "creating quality together with producers, raw material manufacturers, and contract manufacturers," we are building a quality assurance system in collaboration with our partner companies.
Thorough on-site audits
We regularly visit raw material suppliers and contract manufacturers to check and verify their quality assurance systems.
Independent acceptance inspection
We conduct our own inspections of key raw materials such as edible oils before delivery, and accept only those that meet our strict standards.
Management of pesticides and fertilizers
We obtain records of fertilizer and pesticide management to confirm that pesticide residues are properly controlled.
Conducting self-assessments
We require all our suppliers to conduct self-assessments of quality control items defined by Kewpie Group every year, and to implement feedback-based improvement initiatives to regularly verify their quality assurance systems.
Mayonnaise Ingredients
KEWPIE MAYONNAISE, instantly recognizable by its iconic red grid pattern and red cap, is made using three main ingredients: egg yolk, vegetable oil, and vinegar.
egg
Freshness is especially important for eggs. If the eggs aren't fresh, the egg-cracking machine can't separate the yolk and white cleanly. Therefore, as soon as the eggs arrive at the factory, we perform a freshness check to ensure they meet our quality standards. Because eggs are highly perishable, they require meticulous hygienic management.
Checking egg freshness
vegetable oil
KEWPIE MAYONNAISE uses rapeseed oil, soybean oil, and other ingredients. We work closely with our suppliers to review and align on every detail of the refining process. This unique standard, called "Kewpie Spec," supports the creation of safe and delicious products. Furthermore, our "Pre-Shipment Sample System" involves obtaining samples from suppliers in advance, conducting inspections, and only accepting raw materials that pass the inspection. In addition, we pick up the approved vegetable oils from our suppliers using our group's vehicles. We are involved in every aspect of vegetable oil production, from standard setting and manufacturing to quality control and transportation.
Checking the quality of vegetable oil delivered under the Pre-Shipment Sample System.
Receiving transported vegetable oil. The transportation and factory staff carefully verify the oil together during the process.
vinegar
Previously, vinegar produced in Japan was predominantly Japanese-style vinegar made from rice and other grains, making it difficult to source a vinegar that complemented mayonnaise—a Western-style condiment. To overcome this, we established a specialized company in 1962. The vinegar used in our mayonnaise is a proprietary blend crafted from raw materials such as apple juice and malt. We ensure that this custom-made vinegar pairs beautifully not only with vegetables and bread, but also with rice and traditional Japanese cuisine.
Kewpie Jyozo Co., Ltd., which manufactures our specialized mayonnaise vinegar.
A fermentation tank
Container and packaging quality
Kewpie Group basic policy for selecting containers and packaging
Kewpie Group Basic Policy for Selecting Containers and Packaging
- 1.Appropriateness as a food container
- 2.No generation of environmental pollutants
- 3.Strive to conserve resources and energy, eliminate multiple packaging
- 4.Promote and improve suitability for recycling
- 5.Strive to establish environmentally friendly packaging technologies
Container and packaging quality
Quality assessment
Food packaging plays a vital role in protecting the contents and maintaining quality, sometimes for months. At the same time, ease of use is also an important factor in packaging design.
In addition to the composition and characteristics of the contents, we design containers considering transportation, in-store display, and usage scenarios at home. We verify the quality of the containers through various methods, such as whether they are manufactured according to the design and whether there are any problems with actual usability. Furthermore, we work in cooperation with material manufacturers to conduct functional and safety evaluations, striving to resolve issues and maintain and improve quality.
Preserving Taste
Container thickness is measured precisely to assess whether it is sufficient to preserve quality and consistent across all portions.
We use red penetrant to check for minute seal defects and ensure containers seal properly.
Preserving Product Content
We apply pressure from above and evaluate how much load it can withstand.
Products are drop-tested from heights equivalent to those encountered during freight-handling and shelf-stocking to assess them for deformation and breakage.
Safe and Pleasant User Experience
Assessing foil seal on Mayonnaise container for ease of removal.
Removing a pull tab from dressing container to assess ease of opening.
Preventing Mayonnaise Oxidation
Oxygen oxidizes the vegetable oil in mayonnaise, degrading its flavor. KEWPIE MAYONNAISE employs various techniques in its packaging to prevent oxidation.
The opening is sealed with aluminum foil to block out oxygen (since 1988).
A layer that is impermeable to oxygen is sandwiched between the polyethylene layers to block oxygen (since 1972). Furthermore, Kewpie Half also incorporates an oxygen-absorbing layer (since 2005).
Packaging material quality and communication with manufacturers
Regarding packaging, we value communication with material manufacturers through daily conversations and factory visits. We collaborate with relevant departments both inside and outside the company to develop packaging designs that not only comply with laws and regulations but also consider functionality and the global environment.
We conduct necessary evaluations to ensure that there are no changes in functionality or ease of use for customers, even when material manufacturers change materials or alter manufacturing processes, and we confirm that there are no issues.