Contribution to Dietary
Habits and Health
Contribution to Dietary Habits and Health
Suggest and provide healthy and fulfilling lifestyles through research and development with an eye towards the age of centenarians and through products and services helpful to the health of people of different generations
Themes and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Research and development toward the era of the 100-year lifespan
Number of research presentations relating to health value of foods
- FY2026
- 25 (per year)
Contributing to the health needs of customers and their ever-diversifying lifestyles
FOSHU and Food with Functional Claims sales breakdown
- FY2026
- 30% or more
Overseas sales ratio
- FY2026
- 12% or more
Product safety and security / Pursuit of quality and reduction of environmental impact
International food safety certification rate
* Domestic beverage / leaf manufacturing plants
- Acquisition rate 100%
Beverage / leaf factory audit rate
Domestic beverage / leaf manufacturing plants
- Implementation rate 100%
Contributable SDGs and Targets
-
3.3
3.4 -
12.4
Responsible marketing
The ITO EN Group endeavors to ensure compliance with laws and regulations in its marketing communications and product labeling, in accordance with the ITO EN Group Policy on Responsible Marketing.
Review and management system
Specialist business units such as the Legal Department review and verify the labelling of products and other items including advertising and sales promotion materials. By identifying and revising/addressing any misleading representation or other labeling issues in advance, we strive for labeling/expression which is in compliance with laws and regulations and the industry's own voluntary standards and which is appropriate, clear and not misleading.
Training system
ITO EN regularly provides employee training on labeling-related laws and regulations through means such as e-learning and business unit-level study meetings. Brand managers overseeing each brand group receive training about new laws and regulations through development meetings and other channels and provide feedback/training at a brand group-level, in an attempt to instil knowledge/raise awareness of new legislation among employees involved in relevant business operations.
Research and development toward the era of the 100-year lifespan
Since its establishment in 1986, the ITO EN Central Research Institute has been dedicated to fundamental research on the evaluation of the health benefits of tea and other food ingredients and the elucidation of their mechanisms, as well as applied research on the effectiveness of food intake under the themes of health, deliciousness, and the environment.
With an eye toward the era of the 100-year lifespan, the institute collaborates with academia and industry on research and development, with the goals of addressing health challenges across different age groups and prolonging healthy lifespans. It also provides products and services that are mindful of both health and taste, as well as the environment.
Health
Functions of the gallate-type catechins contained in green tea
Lowered bad cholesterol levels, suppressed body fat absorption (Joint research with Tohoku University, etc.)
Improved working memory in healthy middle-aged and elderly individuals
Antiviral action of green tea
Fighting the influenza virus, the inactivation of the COVID-19 coronavirus in a test tube and the introduction of the practice of gargling with green tea and holding green tea in the mouth for a while for public hygiene, and others (Joint research with the University of Shizuoka, the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine and other institutions)
Deliciousness
Scientific verification of the synergy between tea and dashi (broth) —The umami components in tea that complement traditional Japanese flavors—
Environment
Development of upcycled products using the Used Tea Leaves Environment Recycling System
Contributing to the health needs of customers and their ever-diversifying lifestyles
Research and product development related to health value and nutrition
Proposing high value-added products that support health
Nutritional issues in dietary life stemming from vitamin and mineral deficiencies and excessive intake of fats, sugars and salt pose growing concerns. Regarding these health issues, we research the healthiness of food materials including tea and work to develop evidence-based FOSHU and Food with Function Claims and products using less sugar, salt and unnecessary food additives. In this way, we help to keep customers’ eating habits healthy and improve their nutrition.
Actions to address health issues overseas
In recent years, the increase in lifestyle-related diseases such as obesity and hypertension has been growing more severe and become a global challenge. Initiatives to reduce the sugar content of processed foods are under way in many different countries, including the introduction of sugar taxes.
Alongside increasing health awareness, the ITO EN Group is rolling out the sugar-free Oi Ocha brand even in foreign countries where sugar-containing beverages are the mainstream. The Group proposes approaches to health issues through familiar foods.
In particular, Thailand and Singapore are Southeast Asian countries where governments are introducing aggressive measures to prevent obesity, and the HEALTHIER CHOICE mark indicating the national certification of products with health benefits is printed on packages to communicate to customers that the product is sugar free in an easy-to-understand manner.
We are actively promoting these products in Indonesia and Thailand. Examples of these efforts include point-of-purchase tastings and the handing out of samples at gyms, sports events and other places and opportunities.
Provision of product information on packaging and our website
ITO EN indicates raw materials and nutritional information on the packaging of the beverage products that we sell. In addition, we have also established the system that allows cutomers to check the origin of raw ingredients used for green tea, barley tea, vegetable drinks and tea leaf products on product packaging and our website. Futhermore, we have complied with the Amendment of the Food Labeling Standards and taken action to ensure we offer products that people can enjoy with complete peace of mind and safety.
Range of container sizes to meet diverse customer needs
ITO EN's products come in containers of all sizes, ranging from large family-sized containers to small containers of an easily drinkable size to meet the needs of customers worried about excessive intake.
Pursuit of product safety and quality and reduction of environmental impact
As we handle food products, the ITO EN Group recognizes quality and safety as the most important aspects of our responsibility to our customers. We have established a strict quality control system from product design, raw materials and packaging materials to manufacture and distribution, by which we ensure product safety.
Reduction of environmental impact throughout the product lifecycle
ITO EN works to minimize environmental impact throughout the product life cycle.
Initiatives to improve customer satisfaction
In FY2009, ITO EN pledged to achieve voluntary conformity with the ISO10002 standard (an international standard for complaint handling management system). This standard requires companies to work continuously to make improvements in their various activities, and to create and operate a PDCA cycle-based complaint handling framework in order to achieve greater customer satisfaction. In accordance with the Basic Policy for Customer Satisfaction, ITO EN improves customer satisfaction by actively utilizing customer feedback in corporate management to help it develop better products and improve sales practices and by putting its management principle of Always Putting the Customer First into practice.
Basic Policy for Customer SatisfactionStructure for promoting improvement in customer satisfaction
