Japan Focus: Morinaga Milk, functional food trends, Umami Cola, and more
Morinaga Milk tackles Japan’s healthy ageing needs with functional food innovation
Morinaga Milk Industry has launched a series of functional foods across yogurt, sachet powder, milk formula, and fermented drinks to support the nutritional needs of Japan’s rapidly ageing population.
Immune health is one of the top concerns among consumers when it comes to healthy ageing, said Saki Yamashita, assistant manager, marketing and legal support, citing market data.
At the same time, companies would need to identify the exact target areas when it comes to new product innovation.
Japan’s functional food trends: Surge in products and new opportunities focused on women
Exclusive data on Japan's functional foods sector has highlighted a growing demand for 'femcare', signalling growth potential in areas such as premenstrual dysphoric disorder and vaginal health.
The report, titled “In-depth Analysis report on FFCs notified in FY2023”, was produced by Japan-based nutraceutical consultancy firm Smooth Link Inc.
Bottoms up: Japan’s Umami Cola looks to upend category with botanical-rich, koji-sweetened beverage
Japan-based Umami Cola is aiming to turn the category on its head with a new botanical-rich, koji-sweetened formulation and an inverted can design.
Craft cola is hugely popular in Japan with over 1,000 different varieties featuring specialty ingredients, fruits, spices and medicinal herbs.
Facing immense competition from big players in Japan, Umami Cola is hoping its formulation and packaging will help it stand out.
Nippon Food Shift: Product affordability and local origins are key food purchase drivers for Japanese consumers – government data
The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) recently published the results of its Diet and Lifestyle Survey 2023, conducted annually via its Nippon Food Shift campaign on around 4,000 participants to understand local consumption behaviour.
Consumers across most age groups highlighted that the most important factor to them is the ‘lowest possible price’ when comparing similar products, said MAFF.
Overall, 44.1% of consumers highlighted this as their highest priority, and 32.5% ranked local orgins to be the next major purchasing driver.
Adults in 20s, 30s most interested in personalised nutrition – Suntory-backed start-up survey
Among those in their 20s, more than half of those surveyed (53 per cent) said they were either “interested” or “somewhat interested” in personalised nutrition.
A similar trend was also seen among those in their 30s, where 51 per cent were either “interested” or “somewhat interested”.
