Office of Agricultural Affairs Royal Thai Embassy Kotaki Terrace C. 3-13-22, Meguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-0063 Japan Report for Research Study Project On Development of Special Food Products From Thailand for the Aging Japanese August 4, 2010 Key Research Net Corporation Riki-Bldg No. 11, 7-5-34, Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo Tel: 03-5563-0868 Fax: 03-3583-5555 URL: http://www.keyresearchnet.jp Table of Contents (Development of Special Food Products from Thailand for the Aging Japanese) Executive Summary ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 I. Current state of the aging society and the market of food for aging people in Japan ----------------------------------------------------- 4 (1) The Status of Aging Society---------------------------------------------------------------- 4 (2) Situation of aging people ---------------------------------------------------------------- 8 (3) Trend in the development of foods for aging Japanese ---------------------------- 8 (4) Outline of the food market for senior persons ---------------------------------------------- 9 (5) Size of food market for aging Japanese --------------------------------------------- 9 II. Types of Food for the aging people ------------------------------------------------ 13 (1) Ordinary food products ---------------------------------------------------------------- 14 (2) Universal Design Food (Food for the people in need of nursing care) ------------- 16 (3) Food for Special Dietary Uses" ------------------------------------------------------------ 21 1. What is the “Food for Special Dietary Uses "? ------------------------------------- 21 2. Transition of the labeling system related to special usage ------------------- 21 3. Food for Specified Health Uses ------------------------------------------------- 22 4. The application procedures of the "Food for Specified Health uses" ------ 23 5. Market situation of the "Food for Specified Health Uses" ------------------------------ 23 1) Market of the "Food for Specified Health Uses" ------------------------------- 23 2) Distribution channel of the "Food for Specified Health Uses” --------------- 25 3) Cost for obtaining the certification of the “Food for Specified Health Uses” -------------- 27 4) New system of the "Food for Specified Health Uses" -------------------------------- 28 6. Market trend of the therapeutic diet -------------------------------------------- 29 7. Situation of the metabolic syndrome ------------------------------------------------ 30 1) What is the metabolic syndrome? ------------------------------------------- 30 2) Diagnostic criteria for the metabolic syndrome ----------------------------- 30 3) Number of patients of the metabolic syndromes ------------------------- 30 4) Market related to the metabolic syndrome and the outlook --------------- 31 5) Product for the cholesterol control ---------------------------------------------- 32 6) Products for the neutral fat control ------------------------------------------------- 36 7) Prevention of the obesity ------------------------------------------------------- 38 8) Products for the high blood pressure control -------------------------------------- 38 9) Products for the blood sugar level control -------------------------------------- 38 10) Aging people and foods related to the metabolic syndrome ----------------- 39 III. Important distribution Channel of food for aging people ----------------- 40 (1) Important Distribution Channel -------------------------------------------------------- 40 1. Elderly nursing home and hospital as main distribution channels --------------- 40 2. Retail store sales and mail order sales ---------------------------------------------- 40 (2) Drug store sales ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 47 1. Kusuri no Katsumata /Mizonokuchi Shop -------------------------------------- 47 2. Anshin Support Shop/Ito Yokado Tama-plaza Shop --------------------------- 47 3. Natural Pocket/Tokyu Department Store Tama-plaza Shop ------------------ 47 (3) Product examples of foods for aging people and heath foods handled in Television mail orders --------------------------------------- 48 (4) Food for aging people at elderly care facility -------------------------------------- 48 1. No. of elderly care facility is about 10,000-------------------------------------- 48 2. Elderly Taking Care Home “Toyokawa no Sato”, Osaka (Governmental elderly care facility) ----------------------------------- 50 3. Elderly Taking Care Home “Ryokuju no Sato”, Shizuoka (Non-governmental elderly care facility) ----------------------------- 51 IV. Market trend of food for aging people ------------------------------------------- 52 (1) Companies entering to the food category for aging people and product trend----- 52 (2) Difficulty in appealing to consumers -------------------------------------------------- 52 (3) The status and future perspective of the food market for aging people and for persons in need of nursing care market --------------------- 53 V. Sales promotion strategy of food for aging people ----------------------------- 54 (1) Advertisements in television, trade journals, general magazines, and free papers ----------------------------------------------------------- 54 (2) Information offerings through the Internet ----------------------------------------- 54 (3) Promotions in storefronts, hospitals, and nursing care facilities for aging people ---------------------------------------------------------- 55 (4) Tie-ups with associations and academic societies, etc. --------------------------- 55 (5) Mail order catalog --------------------------------------------------------------------- 55 (6) Present and great discount at the first order ---------------------------------------- 56 (7) Participation in exhibitions ----------------------------------------------------------- 56 (8) Execution of campaign and use of image character ------------------------------ 56 (9) Use of customer management system ---------------------------------------------- 56 VI. Studies of Public Research Laboratories, Institutes, Universities etc. on Food for aging people -------------------------------------------------------- 57 VII. Rules and regulations related to production and sales of foods, and safety of foods for elderly ---------------------------------------- 63 (1) Food Sanitation Law ------------------------------------------------------------------ 63 (2) The Law Concerning Standardization and Proper Labeling of Agriculture and Forestry Products (Law for JAS) ----------------- 68 (3) Food Safety Basic Law --------------------------------------------------------------- 69 (4) Pharmaceutical Affairs Law ---------------------------------------------------------- 70 (5) Act Against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representation --------- 71 VIII. Government and companies initiatives for the safety of food------------ 73 (1) Establishment of Consumer Affairs Agency --------------------------------------- 73 (2) Inspection of safety of import foods under Food Sanitation Law -------------- 74 (3) Companies initiatives for the safety of food --------------------------------------- 75 IX. Trend of healthy foods and foods for elderly people seen in exhibition -- 76 (1) Current Situation of Medical Care Foods and Nursing Care Foods seen in the Medi-Care Foods Expo ------------------------------------- 76 (2) Health Ingredients Japan 2009 ------------------------------------------------------- 83 X. Japan's Imports and Exports of Food for aging people ---------------------- 87 (1) Research and Development of Food for aging people in Asia Markets -------- 87 (2) Exports of Functional Food to China ----------------------------------------------- 87 XI. Advices to Thailand ----------------------------------------------------------------- 88 APPENDIX-1. Popular foods for aging people and their prices in the Japanese retail market ----------------------------------------- 89 APPENDIX-2. The Manufacturers and Food Products for Aging People ------- 97 APPENDIX-3. Foods for aging people / Companies and Associations --------- 99 APPENDIX-4. Interview Report ---------------------------------------------------- 102 Executive Summary Introduction The aging society is progressing in Japan with a factor of the decline in mortality. After the war, the substantial decline in mortality of babies and young persons has been realized due to the improvement of living conditions, improved eating habits and nutritional status, and advancement of medical technologies, etc. The life expectancy in 2008 of men and women went up to 79.29 years and 86.05 years while that in 1947 was 50.06 years and 53.96 respectively. The people aged 65-year-old or more are called the "aging people" in Japan. As of Sept 15, 2009, of the total 127.56 million population of Japan, that of the aging people amounted to 28.98 million, accounting for 22.7% of the total. The number of those who have various physical troubles with aging has increased because aging people stage is extending with longer life expectancy: they are those with weakened functions in swallowing, chewing and digestion, those with lowered appetite, physically disabled persons, those in need of nursing care, physically weak persons, those who cannot manage to cook for themselves physically, and those who cannot intake necessary and sufficient nutrition, etc. Given the situation, the food industry has been paying a high attention on foods for aging people as a new market.