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Japan

Japanese Vegan Food Manufacturer 2foods Makes Its U.S. Debut

3 Mins Read Japanese vegan food CPG brand 2foods, which offers plant-based eggs and chicken nuggets, has announced its U.S. launch. With new North American headquarters in downtown Los Angeles and making its U.S. market debut at the Vegan Women Summit in New York next month, 2foods is gearing up for widespread distribution across the country. ‘Catalyst for […]

10 Reasons Eating Fish and Seafood Is Bad for Your Health and the Planet

7 Mins Read Reducing seafood intake is one of the key ways you can help alleviate your negative effect on the planet, but there are also a host of other important reasons make a pass on fish for dinner.  From biodiversity loss to more frequent natural disasters and rising global temperatures, our planet is now at an important […]

Japan Researchers Create Cultivated ‘Whole’ Steak Cube

3 Mins Read University of Tokyo professor Shoji Takeuchi and his colleagues say they have succeeded in producing the world’s first cultivated cubed steak. The diced steak was first produced in 2019, when Takeuchi and his team produced a three-dimensional muscle tissue measuring about a cubic centimeter, which the team says can grow to larger cuts. Currently, most […]

Beyond Meat’s Asia Streak Continues As It Enters Japan

3 Mins Read Beyond Meat is gearing up for a Japan launch in a new partnership with United Super Market Holdings. The partnership will include both product development and distribution. United Super Market Holdings (USMH), one of Japan’s largest grocery store holding companies with more than 500 retail outlets in Japan including MaxValu, Maruetsu, and Kasumi, will add […]

Japan Makes Move To Assess The Safety Of Cultivated Meat

4 Mins Read The Japanese government has announced that it is pulling together a team of experts to analyse the safety of cultivated meat. The move is seen as a precursor to implementing a regulatory framework for future commercial product approvals.  The team will be curated by the Health, Labor, and Welfare Ministry. Its endeavours will be focused […]

Next Meats Confirms Wagyu Brisket As Its First US-Produced New Line

3 Mins Read Japanese plant-based manufacturer Next Meats has announced a new product line to be manufactured in its San Jose, Calif., facility. The Next Wagyu Japanese Premium Brisket is the company’s first meat analogue with carbon-negative packaging. The location has previously manufactured existing product ranges with standard packaging options. The wagyu is made from non-GMO soy without […]

Mayonnaise Giant Kewpie Unveils Plant-Based Egg Line

3 Mins Read Kewpie, known for its range of egg-based mayonnaise products which your local sushi joint slathers all over your California roll, has announced its new plant-based egg range. The Japanese manufacturer has unveiled Hobotama, which translates to ‘almost eggs’, a ready-to-serve scrambled egg analogue and liquid alternative for baking developed using soy milk. Kewpie processes more […]

This Japanese Startup Claims To Have Eliminated Animal Serum For Cost-Effective Cultivated Meat Production

4 Mins Read IntegriCulture has reported the successful cultivation of chicken and duck liver cells using an animal serum-free medium. Harnessing its proprietary CulNet system, the startup leverages bioreactors to emulate inter-organ interactions which lead to cell cultivation. Moving from research to prototyping stage, IntegriCulture has replaced all research-grade materials with food-safe alternatives. It is claimed that ‘functional […]

2foods And Kagome Join Forces To Create Japan’s First Vegan Egg For Omurice

3 Mins Read Japanese food brand 2foods by TWO Inc. has linked up with domestic manufacturing giant Kagome Co. to develop a plant-based egg substitute for a new omurice dish. Dubbed “Ever Egg”, the component is made from vegetables and legumes which are processed to reach the right consistency.  2foods has a patent-pending for its proprietary ”vegetable semi-ripening […]

IntegriCulture Nets $7 Million To Develop Open Source Cellular Agriculture Infrastructure Platform

3 Mins Read Japanese foodtech IntegriCuture has closed a Series B funding round with $7 million successfully raised. The investment will go into the development of affordable growth mediums, plus other tech solutions for the cultivated meat sector. The company plans to make developments open source in a bid to accelerate widespread progress and commercialisation.  To date, IntegriCulture […]

Japan Sets Up Plant-Based Labelling Rules To Remove Vegan Industry ‘Shackles’

3 Mins Read Japan is establishing plant-based labelling rules to remove hurdles for the country’s vegan food industry. In a press conference, government minister Taro Kono described the lack of guidelines as a “shackle” for the industry’s development, and also alluded to possible clarifications about novel cell-based proteins further down the line.  Japan is moving ahead to establish […]

7 Japanese Words You Need To Be Living Your Life By

4 Mins Read Have you been searching for a way to describe something you’ve felt, and just can’t pin down using the English language? We’ve definitely felt that way before. Luckily, there are some Japanese words that are just so relatable, and we are here to share them with you! Here are 7 Japanese words that seem to […]

Japanese Luxury Giant Takashimaya Debuts Large Scale Fashion Collection Made From Upcycled Materials From Its Own Supply Chains

3 Mins Read Takashimaya, one of the largest luxury department store chains in Japan, is embracing sustainable fashion with a new recycling initiative. Working with 15 brands for the campaign, the company is launching recycled fashion pieces across its high-end outlets and online store, and has plans to extend the program with 100 more brands in the future.  […]

Q&A w/ Chef Toshio Tanahashi: The Shojin Master On That Eleven Madison Park Menu, The Controversy Of Plant-Based & Why We Must Respect Plants

10 Mins Read Chef Toshio Tanahashi is a master in shojin ryori, one of the oldest culinary traditions in Japan. Based in Okinawa, the southernmost part of Japan, the renowned shojin chef, who trained under Zen buddhist monks, is famously known as a “vegetable whisperer” with a wealth of knowledge and experience about pure plant-based cuisine before it […]

Next Meats To Build Solar-Powered Vegan Protein Factory and R&D Hub

2 Mins Read Japanese food tech Next Meats is set to build a new solar-powered factory and R&D hub dedicated to alt-protein production. The new plant, to be constructed in the hometown of one of the co-founders of the brand, will boost its production capacity to meet demand. Next Meats says it will also help lower retail costs […]