Japan

Japan Considers Cell-Based Meat Food Option

Friday, September 3, 2021

The Japanese food authorities have been actively deliberating food regulatory matters regarding how to better use new technologies to diversify protein sources for consumers. 

The Japanese food authorities have been actively deliberating food regulatory matters regarding how to better use new technologies to diversify protein sources for consumers. 

Alternative protein products, such as cell-based meat, are gaining attention given their unique advantages of offering additional sources of protein in the diet and their ability to promote a more sustainable food system. Supported by the Japanese Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), a public-private partnership known as Food Tech Research Group was established in 2020 to develop strategies and policies regarding emerging food technologies; to no surprise, cell-based meat is on their agenda.

Currently, Japan has not promulgated any new food regulations or standards that explicitly address a regulatory framework for cell-based meat. However, the existing food legislation has stipulated some general requirements that are likely to apply. For instance, Article 3 of the Japanese Food Sanitation Act requires that a food business operator shall take necessary measures to ensure the safety of the food for sale for human consumption. 

Article 7 further states that articles that have “not generally been served for human consumption” and “have not been proven to involve no risk to human health” or “articles including those articles having newly come to be sold or are going to be sold as food,” may be prohibited from being sold as foods by the Minister of

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Camp Zama programs equip newcomers to Japan with vital information | Article




Camp Zama programs equip newcomers to Japan with vital information




The welcome packet that Camp Zama’s Army Community Service prepares for attendees at the newcomer’s orientation includes informational brochures, contact information, and local magazines. The newcomers’ orientation provides incoming employees with a primer on many of the installation’s key organizations and services.
(Photo Credit: Noriko Kudo)

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CAMP ZAMA, Japan (Aug. 31, 2021) – Two programs that are part of the welcoming process for those newly arriving to Japan and Camp Zama help to quickly familiarize them with their new living and working environment.

“Head Start” is a weeklong class that serves as an introduction to Japanese food, culture and helpful-to-know phrases and customs. And the newcomers’ orientation provides incoming employees with a primer on many of the installation’s key organizations and services.

David Rood, an Education Services specialist at the Camp Zama Education Center, said his facility offers Head Start twice a month. During their in-processing, newcomers are scheduled to attend the program, and Rood recommends they attend within 30 days of their arrival to Japan.

The next scheduled Head Start class, which is already full, will be held Sept. 7 through 10. The class after that, which still has spaces available, will be held Sept. 20 through 24. Class sizes are currently limited to a maximum of 24 students due to COVID-19 restrictions, Rood said.

Head Start is a mandatory course required for all active-duty military members and Department of Defense employees assigned to Camp Zama, Rood said. The course provides students with some basic knowledge on

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Eating at the Olympics: Arigato Japan Food Tours

TOKYO (WFLA) — One of the best things about exploring Japan is the food, and for the country, it’s big business.

Tsukiji Fish Market, a bucket list food destination for many, is a haven for sushi, seafood, ramen, and more.

Anne Kyle owns Arigato Japan Food Tours. Arigato has 40 different food tours showcasing the flavors of Japan, from tea to street food and everything in between.

“You’ll definitely noticed most places specialize in one thing,” Kyle said. “So if it’s sushi, that place will only serve sushi. If it’s ramen, then that’s only ramen. That is because the Japanese artisan spirit really believes in perfecting one thing. And that’s the only thing that they will give to you. Sixteen perfecting that to the highest level is really showcasing the shokunin spirit of Japan.”

Kyle said her business has taken a major hit during the pandemic.

“Things were really good before the pandemic, but given how things are iin Japan right now, we are really struggling,” Kyle said.

She hoped the Olympics would help, but it’s been tough without foreign spectators. She is looking ahead with hopes of a brighter future for the industry.

“I do think once things get better all eyes will be on Japan again,” she said.

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Starbucks Japan begins selling food at a discount before closing time

While Starbucks may be most frequented in the morning and over lunch, you now have a new reason to visit in the evening as well. Starting Monday August 23, the coffee chain is selling its food items on a discount just before closing time. This new initiative is implemented at 1,600 Starbucks locations across Japan in an effort to help reduce food waste. 

In general, food items such as baked goods, sandwiches, cakes and desserts will be 20 percent off within three hours before closing time. However, the discount starting time may vary by store depending on the day’s excess stock.

Even though the majority of Starbucks’ waste comes from leftover coffee beans, a significant 15 percent of the waste is still made up of unsold food. Some of the coffee bean refuse is recycled into fertiliser and animal feed, but nothing has been done about the food waste, until now. Moreover, a portion of the sales from the discounted food will be donated to Musubie, a local non-profit organisation which provides meals to children across Japan.

Love Starbucks? Check out the most beautiful Starbucks locations in Japan.

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TikToker Claims to Have Lost 25 Pounds Eating ‘Junk’ Food in Japan

A TikToker who compared American and Japanese food in a wildly viral video touched off an online debate about eating habits in the two nations.

The TikTok, courtesy of Samantha “Sunnie” Cherie, who operates the @trashbuns account, has attracted more than 1.6 million videos since being posted to the platform on Friday.

The video was captioned, “Literally are [sic] JUNK for at least 2 meals a day In japan and lost POUNDS,” and the on-screen text played during the short video says even more.

In the short video, the TikToker nods while wearing sunglasses to Bfb Da Packman’s “Ocean Prime,” a song built around the line, “She want Ocean Prime, but she gettin’ Chick-Fil-A.” The on-screen caption reads, “I knew America was literally killing me with its food when I went to Japan and ate konbini every day for a month and lost 25 pounds.”

According to ByFood, konbini are Japanese convenience stores, open 24 hours a day, that serve a variety of foods. As the article explains, konbini “are one-stop shops that grace every corner of every Japanese street, shining like a beacon of hope in the dead of night and wee hours of the morning when everything else is closed.”

The most common konbini grab-and-go options including onigiri (seaweed-wrapped rice triangles that have a meat, fish, vegetable, or combo filling inside), bento (a snack box that typically includes “rice, grilled fish, pickled veggies, tamagoyaki, and sometimes chicken karaage or a meatball”), and sandwiches.

Commenters had plenty of

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