Category Archives: Food & Agriculture

HYOGO, March 26 — An auction for overseas buyers seeking premium wagyu beef was held on March 25 at Wagyu Master Meat Center, a meat processing facility in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture. More than 100 buyers from 12 countries and regions joined the bidding for carcasses of wagyu beef brands including Kobe beef. The highest successful bid price was 36,570 yen per kilogram excluding tax. It was the first time an auction dedicated to foreign buyers was held in Japan. The Japanese Wagyu World Auction was organized by an organization comprising the meat center, Kobe Beef Marketing & Distribution Promotion Association and S Foods Inc., a meat wholesaler based in Nishinomiya, … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Mar. 8 – A private organization in Japan has established guidelines for black soldier fly production to ensure the safe use of larvae as feed materials and food. The new private guidelines are now in place to gain consumers’ trust and confidence, following the ones created last year for crickets. While insects are gathering attention as alternative protein sources for farm animals and humans, there are no public rules for raising the insect. Insect Business Research and Development Platform (iBPF), a group of research institutes including Osaka International University and private companies, developed the guidelines. The black soldier fly is a promising future material for feed due to its … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Feb. 26 – The market for porridge products is recently expanding amid growing needs for the food as a daily meal, with food manufacturers introducing new items. Porridge has typically been regarded as a dish for the elderly and the sick, but consumers became aware of the benefits of low-calorie, ready-to-eat porridge products while they stayed home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Companies are coming up with new products which are filling and easier to eat. More people are now having porridge for breakfast or a light meal, triggering hopes for increased rice consumption. Major food maker Ajinomoto Co. will start selling on March 18 a new chicken porridge pouch … Continue reading →

HYOGO, Feb. 25 – Kobe beef, a widely-known top-quality wagyu brand from Hyogo Prefecture, will be shipped to Saudi Arabia for the first time. It will also be the first export of Japanese beef to the country. Hyogo plans to ship Kobe beef equivalent to 150 cows in a year. The move is an attempt to make inroads into one of the leading economic giants in the Middle East as part of efforts to increase beef producers’ revenues and expand production of Kobe beef. A ban on exports of Japanese beef to Saudi Arabia was lifted in 2020. In October last year, Sanda Meat Center in the city of Kobe … Continue reading →

WAKAYAMA, Feb. 19 – It turns your smartphone into a farmers’ market. A local agricultural cooperative in Wakayama Prefecture (JA Kinosato) has started offering a virtual tour of Mekkemon Hiroba, its local farmers’ market in Kinokawa City, Wakayama Prefecture. It allows online customers to enjoy shopping as if they are actually in the market. Distant and elderly shoppers who can’t easily visit the market can virtually walk around and find something new and attractive from the rich lineup of agricultural products in the market. That way, it can also create a new demand. The virtual reality (VR) service is accessible via smartphones and personal computers. The users can move freely … Continue reading →