The most delicious Japanese delicacies you should try right now Announcing the "Food Action Nippon Award 2017"

"Food Action Nippon" (FAN, organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) held the final judging session for the "Food Action Nippon Award 2017" on October 30 at the Rihga Royal Hotel Tokyo in Shinjuku Ward. Now in its ninth year, this award widely solicits applications from businesses and organizations contributing to increased consumption of domestic agricultural, forestry, and fishery products, recognizing outstanding initiatives.

At the final judging session, the 10 award-winning products were selected from the 100 finalists chosen in the first round of judging from 1,111 entries. The final judging panel consisted of 10 top executives from major Japanese companies involved in food, including large retailers, restaurant chains, and department stores. The judging criteria focused on the people behind each product and the stories behind them.

The judging results selected: Misodo's "Miso Maru" Onan Town Tourism Association's "Hiyori Highlands Milk Jam" Maedaya's "Fisherman's Meal Nori" Aile's "Vegetable Sheet" Isshinya's "Mille-Feuille of Dried Persimmon, Walnut, and Fig" Kanehachi's "OIL SABADINES Suruga Smoked Mackerel: Original Flavor, Natural Flavor, Garlic Flavor" , Fukushima Katsuo's "Kyoto Sawara Umami Dashi," Tabata Shoten's "Pear Fruit Rakkyo Dip (Wasabi Tartar Sauce)," Kosugi Foods' "Aosa Nori Natto," and Asian Market's "Itoshima-Produced Thick Mozuku Seaweed" were selected as the 10 winning products.

Prior to the final judging, the official website conducted a consumer vote for 100 winning products. Okayama Route Service's "Ushimado White Mushroom Edible Dressing" was honored with the "FAN Special Award".

Koji Inoue, Director-General of the Food Industry Bureau at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, stated, "Japanese restaurants are increasing worldwide every year. While Japanese food culture receives significant attention overseas, its value is insufficiently recognized domestically. The challenge is how to effectively communicate the initiatives of each region to domestic consumers." He concluded, "All the winning products possessed deliciousness, beauty, and compelling stories. We will continue our efforts to promote these products."