Evoke social changes through new taste experiences

Orchestrate communication with the world through unified taste experience and healthy choices.

Taste experience should not take away from health. Health should not mean sacrificing taste experience. As we evolve, we will re-invent all aspects of culinary experience, starting within the kitchen and reaching all food moments.

What Mizkan can do to maximize the potential of unifying taste experience and healthy choices

Food ingredients have the potential to impart both flavor and nutrition. We aim to bring out this potential to work towards unifying taste experiences and healthy choices. In the process, we hope to rediscover food.

Technologies that help unify taste experience and healthy choices

We are developing technologies that aim to deliver a healthful taste experience. For example, our strength in fermentation technologies is something we wish to build on.
We hope to deliver new taste experiences that do not compromise on healthiness, all while preserving traditional taste experiences.

Mizkan’s core fermentation technology

Mizkan’s business began with making vinegar from byproducts of sake production.
Ever since, we have developed technology that utilizes the natural process of fermentation to bring out the taste and healthiness of our foods.
For example, in the fermentation of soybeans into natto, the sugars in soybeans are transformed into a viscous substance.
This is what creates natto’s unique texture and makes it a low-sugar, glucose-lowering food.

Photo: Mizkan’s core fermentation technology2

The process of fermenting vinegar also relies on sugars - in the case of rice vinegar, sugars found in rice - which transform into acetic acid with the help of bacteria.
In Japan we have found that vinegar helps us use less salt in our cooking, lowers high blood pressure, and has many other positive effects.

Develop technology that “extracts the full goodness from vegetables, beans, grains, and fruits”

In addition to fermentation technology, we use other techniques to bring out the sweetness, umami, and aromas of vegetables and beans - for example, concentrating and grinding ingredients.

Photo: Develop technology that “extracts the full goodness from vegetables, beans, grains, and fruits”2

Our technology can grind whole produce into smooth pastes. This includes skins, cores, cobs, seeds, and even shells, all of which are packed with nutrients but are inedible without this process. This not only enables us to make the most out of whole ingredients in terms of taste, but also allows for effective use of resources. This contributes to a healthier environment and society, in addition to healthier people.

ZENB™

Opening up a new world of flavor by using more of the vegetables.

A new kind of sustainability that reduces the burden on the environment. New taste experiences made possible by bringing out the flavors of ingredients. New and healthier choices that help us eat better. These are the goals of the ZENB™ Initiative.

In order to meet these goals, Mizkan will continue to develop technologies that can leverage the great taste and nutrients of plant ingredients. These technologies enable us to enjoy even the parts that normally get thrown away in vegetables, beans, grains, and fruits. At the same time, they help reduce food waste and the strain on the environment.

Clean label

We create products that provide security and peace of mind to consumers.

We are now working towards “clean label.”
Although it is still in progress, we will not rest until we have created a clean label that customers can fully support.

Mizkan’s approach to clean label

Use ingredients that are familiar
to consumers.
Remove and reduce ingredients
that consumers want to avoid.

We will apply our approach to clean label across the board, to both our new and traditional foods alike.

Products created with a clean label in mind

RAGÚ Simply™ is a line-up of pasta sauces designed with not only flavor, but also the consumer perspective in mind. No added sugars and made with 100% olive oil, these sauces bring out the sweetness of the vegetables to create a mouthwatering sauce aligned with Americans’ eating preferences.
In the UK, apple cider vinegar is increasingly being associated with health and wellness, resulting in rapid year on year growth for the category. To capitalize on this opportunity, Mizkan launched OSU, a new apple cider vinegar brand, in 2019. OSU contains two carefully selected ingredients: unpasteurized apple cider vinegar and 100% natural apple juice, and draws upon over 200 years of Mizkan crafting expertise, to deliver a clean-label product which balances tang with the natural sweetness of apples.
Happodashi is a broth for cooking. Its distinctive, delicious taste and fragrance are created using a combination of ingredients and clever culinary know-how, without any unnecessary additions. Other products with a clean label include Zeitaku Noko Gomadare and Agodashi Tsuyu.

The pursuit of taste experiences

In the field of product development, there are many restrictions, including those on cost and location.
However, if we let that hold us back, we would never achieve anything.
First, we remove those restrictions. Focusing only on seeing our customers satisfied, we strive to develop new foods and flavors that are both delicious and more health-conscious.
These become our quality targets. Then we think through how we can deliver our creations to our customers at reasonable prices.
This is at the heart of how Mizkan develops products, flavors, and technology.

Learning from the Pros

With the goal of creating foods and flavors that delight and excite our customers, we consult top chefs and culinary researchers in order to gain new ideas, inspirations, and discoveries. We solve technical challenges by seeking advice from and collaborating with leading experts and companies with expertise in their fields. This keeps our employees inspired and excited to develop new products. For example, our Flavor Quality Review Section brings Mizkan together with top chefs and learns from them directly to create new taste experiences.

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Communication through Cooking

Mizkan’s idea of “taste experience” goes beyond just tasting food. We think that it should be a fun activity - a taste experience. That’s why Mizkan produces products from the consumer’s point of view, and through those products, creates new ways to cook tailored to different lifestyles and environments. In doing so, we hope to provide consumers from every walk of life with fun experiences and opportunities for communication.

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We aim to develop products that unify taste experiences and healthy choices. Our aspiration is to re-invent all aspects of culinary experience, starting within the kitchen and reaching all food moments.

Act for the well-being of the earth, society, and all that dwell on it

Respect nature, learn from it, and nurture all life it fosters.

Our environmental ethos and initiatives

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Evoke social changes through new taste experiences

Orchestrate communication with the world through unified taste experience and healthy choices.

Our initiatives to unify taste experiences and healthy choices

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Establish the governance of the future

Strengthen Mizkan Corporate Governance (MCG) to bring the world together, implement with local style, and make the world taste delicious.

Our corporate governance initiatives for developing Mizkan style and achieving sustainable growth

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How we will realize our Vision Statement

In order to realize the Mizkan Vision Statement, we will preserve our traditional taste experiences,
evolve our taste experiences, and bring to life new taste experiences.

ZENB™ Initiative

Eat Like it Matters™

Our planet is an amazing place, blessed with everything we need to nourish and sustain us.
However, population growth and many of the processes surrounding food are putting a strain on that bounty as never before.
If we are to preserve our wondrous environment, we must rethink our approach to food and food production.
The ZENB™ Initiative aims to do just that
- to change the way we think about food, and to help place food that is both healthy and delicious at the center of our everyday lives.
One step at a time, we will move towards a world where we embrace food that is better for us and for the environment.