From the viewpoint of the food system, innovations can be defined as follows: (1) managerial innovation and expansion of agricultural successors by promoting the farmer's business, (2) deepening of contract conditions between food enterprises and produce-producing regions, (3) establishment of value chains, and (4) building of local platforms. The place branding combines both the bundle of values and images created by local resources (brand equity), which in turn accelerates the reinvigoration of regional economies. The bundle of values consists of three factors which define the food quality, such as food safety, eating quality, and food functionality. The food enterprises and producing regions share strategies to enhance values, and strengthen the value chain by taking advantage of the bundle of values and developing PB products. They also enhance their partnership by improving terms and conditions of contract, and sharing the risks of supply-demand adjustment and price fluctuation. Moreover, the food enterprises which join the local platform undertake a role as social business, and promote the innovations by establishing the consortium in collaboration with academia and government. The consortium consequently plays the similar role to the industry cluster by working in concert with the local platform.

抄録全体を表示

In recent years, health disparities have been reported. In this study, we focused on health-related lifestyles, particularly dietary habits. We proposed a hypothesis that social/geographic and financial （income） factors regarding access to food influence dietary habits. Concerning the geographic factors, to determine the relationship between the distance from home to grocery stores and kinds of food consumed, we investigated 5,300 elderly residents from 6 municipalities who lived alone as of 2013. Preliminary analysis of one municipality revealed that men but not women, living far from grocery stores showed lower food diversity scores. Regarding the financial factors, we re-analyzed the results of the National Health and Nutrition Survey, which clarified that adults with a lower annual income consumed more cereals and less vegetables, fish, and shellfish. We found that individuals with a lower income regarded the price and amount as important when buying food, with less importance on the taste, nutrition, or production site. A survey of households with children suggested that poorer households had often been unable to buy food for financial reasons. It is necessary to conduct more studies to clarify disparities in dietary habits.

抄録全体を表示

In a “super-aged” society, one of the important objectives is the health of elderly people. Autonomy, more than ill health, is regarded as a good measure of elderly individuals’ health status. The autonomy of elderly people is greatly influenced by their dietary habits. It is reported that sufficient protein alimentation and high dietary variety are critical for the elderly. The dietary variety of elderly adults may be influenced by both their dependency on the food industry for their diet and the accessibility of food stores. In the future, much greater dependency on processed food and an explosion in the number of elderly adults with poor access to stores in the urban area are predicted. An example of a big-city suburban housing complex shows that the dietary variety scores of elders who depend heavily on processed food and/or who have poor access to food stores are lower than those of other elders. For the food system, maintenance of health in elderly adults is desirable because this ensures a robust food market in a super-aged society. The food system should play a major role in addressing these problems.

抄録全体を表示

As the entry into the Japanese agriculture by companies increases, in this article we try to consider the current situation and prospect of the entry from the food related industries. Agriculture entry by companies is being established, but It should be noted that earnings and stabilization of management is insufficient. Moreover, the scale of the farm which entered is just more than 2 ha, and is by no means large-scale farming. It does not reach the level enough to reform the agricultural structure of Japan. Therefore I analyzed the agriculture entry of the company, and showed the point at issue to elucidate a condition for securing of profit. I place the point at issue with an entry purpose, an entry form, the characteristic of original industry of the entry company, the agricultural sector to be run by entrants, law and the system in conjunction with the agriculture entry, procurement methods of production factors and management resources, the relations with the community and the special features of the agricultural production. In order to prospect for entering agricultural companies, it is required to examine these points of argument.

抄録全体を表示

This paper introduces SUGIYO Co, Ltd. as local sea food manufacture which entered into the agricultural industry, producing vegetables at Noto Peninsula. It reviews the way SUGIYO entered into agriculture and spun the section off into a separate company as Agricultural Production Corporation, SUGIYO Farm. Further, it examines how management of SUGIYO Farm is developed. SUGIYO entered into agriculture for adding its own brand value as well as for the sake of CSR for Noto area. It established independent accounting system by spin-off and undertakes processing and selling business. The backgrounds of this development are unstable supply and low yield of raw material because amount of production varies with the seasons or weather although processing plant operates full year. In addition, there were challenges of inefficiency in high-variety low-volume production and weak bargaining power in price determination. SUGIYO Farm aims to overcome these challenges and ensure profits in a comprehensive way by expanding farm size, establishing a processing plant and managing a directly-selling store independently from SUGIYO. It is important for SUGIYO Farm to play a significant role in Noto area with taking advantage of being a historical company rooted in local society.

抄録全体を表示

As for entry to the agriculture by a company, ignited by the Agricultural Land Law revision in 2000, the hurdle was pulled down gradually. Furthermore, agricultural entry of the nonfinancial company became easy by revision in 2009. These days, Lawson entered into agriculture for the first time in a convenience store. And realization and product differentiation of a reasonable price, and strengthening of the value chain of their company are attained for the purpose of stable reservation of agricultural products, etc.
This paper reports the measure of Lawson of agricultural entry. Lawson developed the convenient store specializing in fresh foods in the convenience store industry which did not almost have handling of a perishable food. And production of the vegetables sold at a store was tackled. This is the Lawson farm and established the agricultural legal entity in collaboration with the middle trader of the existing farmhouse or a market.
In Lawson, it is based on the success point of a company of agricultural entry which Japan Finance Corporation announced. Moreover, collaboration with the existing farmhouse by the Lawson farm is led, and a relation with an entry area is also smooth and it contributes also to development of regional agriculture. However, the sales of the vegetables currently produced in the Lawson farm are slight. Therefore, reservation of superior farmland, etc. will be subjects towards increase of the quantity of production or sales from now on.

抄録全体を表示

This report, in addition to presenting a year-by-year compilation of entries by food-related companies into farming business, analyzes the relationship between food-service companies’ management strategy and their agricultural operations, with a particular focus on the different methods employed.
The means by which food-related companies enter farming operations are classified into five patterns. Of the three food-service companies studied, the following three patterns have been observed: 1) the establishment of a separate legal entity; 2) direct entry through a division within the company; and 3) the establishment of a joint venture (agricultural production corporation) with an agricultural business partner. These companies enter farming to strengthen food procurement, with their ingredient purchase departments and purchase strategy closely intertwined.
However, such farming operations are generally evaluated more for their impact on the parent companies’ overall corporate activities (employee morale, publicity, etc.), rather than their contribution to the improvement of food procurement capabilities, under the current situation.

抄録全体を表示

The Japanese government's manual regarding to food safety policy incorporates the concept of “appropriate level of protection” (or “level of acceptable risk”) in the framework of food risk analysis, according to the FAO/WHO guidelines and the WTO/SPS regulations. However, when defining specific policies as to food safety (such as the establishment of standard limits for radioactive contaminants in food) and providing information to consumers, it is not clear whether the appropriate level of protection has established been. In other words, the appropriate level of protection is not necessarily given an active role in the real food safety policy of our country. Without a better definition of the terms, consumers will not accurately understand food risks and may be distrustful of the government in the future.
.The term, “appropriate level of protection” should definitely be adopted and utilized explicitly in Japan's food safety policy. The term should be explained to consumers for them to realize not only that the food safety measures are based on scientific evaluation, but also that the concept of “food safety” involves normative judgments. In addition, the definition of “food safety” should incorporate the “appropriate level of protection” so that the term “safe” means “relatively safe.” Furthermore, the definition of “appropriate level of protection” should be included in the Food Safety Basic Act.

抄録全体を表示