As the main ingredient found in bento meal boxes and onigiri rice balls produced by Warabeya Nichiyo Food Co., Ltd., we use approximately 50,000 tons of rice per year. Although we purchase rice through NDF (Nihon Delica Foods Association), the total amount purchased by all companies through NDF is far greater, which is why, from the perspective of sustainable ingredients procurement, we have entered multi-year fixed-price contracts with NDF and the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (JA). This approach enables producers to engage in agriculture with an eye on the future and in a planned manner, and allows NDF to ensure a stable supply of high-quality ingredients, thereby building sustainable relationships for both parties.
Warabeya Nichiyo Foods Co., Ltd., plant employees wear clean, sanitary lab coats at all times while working in order to produce safe products. We recycle those lab coats that are no longer needed, which are then used as raw materials for car interiors, for example.
Since our founding more than 50 years ago, the Group has maintained and grown under the slogan of Prioritizing Thorough Hygiene Management Above All Else. In this context, we will introduce specific initiatives.
● Introduction of HACCP* as based on the JFS-B food safety management system standard
Warabeya Nichiyo Foods Co., Ltd., practices quality control and hygiene management based on HACCP and other methods, and has built an uncompromising system for providing safe products, including control of every step from ingredients purchasing to product delivery under strict standards. In addition, following on the introduction of Institutionalization of Food Hygiene Control Based on HACCP Principles to the Food Sanitation Act, we received certification for all of our plants indicating their compliance with the JFS-B standard.
*Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point: A hygiene management program for food production processes
● Employee hygiene management
Warabeya Nichiyo Foods Co., Ltd., plants only allow persons to enter the production floor after being individually checked by a specialist in a multi-stage process. Specifically, this process includes taking each person’s temperature, as well as confirming they are wearing lab coats, head coverings, and masks; checking for injuries on their hands and fingers; and even looking at the length of their fingernails. Hand washing immediately after entry is defined in highly specific terms for both the order and required duration. Following hand washing, individuals must wear fully disinfected disposable rubber gloves, and are also always required to pass through a full-body air shower. In addition, the floors inside our plants are color-coded to indicate which areas handle ingredients before and after heating. And we are managing employees leads between the zones. We also engage in food defense* by installing large numbers of surveillance cameras within each plant.
*Food Defense: The concept of and related actions for protecting food safety by preventing attacks, including the intentional introduction of food contamination, foreign substances, or poisons during the food production process.
● Product safety
We guarantee the high quality of our ingredients by ensuring traceability from procurement to processing and delivery, by implementing proper temperature control according to the product, and by ensuring thorough management through HACCP at our plants.
Through years of experience and research, we have built systems to ensure consistent production that both meets rigorous standards and delivers delicious flavors.
Warabeya Nichiyo Foods Co., Ltd., has established a system to respond swiftly and accurately to feedback and requests regarding our products. We manage all inquiries in a centralized manner and contact the appropriate department for the inquiry in an effort to respond in the correct manner. We also work to take wider ranging action by sharing information with SEVEN-ELEVEN JAPAN CO., LTD., which sells our products directly to customers.
By reviewing ingredients and production processes, and by implementing stringent temperature control, we are committed to developing products that are able to maintain freshness. Chilled products with long-lasting freshness have made significant contributions to reducing food waste because they enable longer shelf lives than conventional products, without sacrificing flavor or quality. Starting with chilled Japanese sweets in 2005, we commercialized chilled bento meal boxes in 2009 and chilled roll sandwiches in 2011. Over the past few years, we have also been working to develop new chilled products unlike anything seen before, such as chilled cup-a-soups and stand-up pouches.
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