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Announcement of the "Food Action Nippon Award 2018"
The "Food Action Nippon" initiative (sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries), aimed at expanding consumption of domestic agricultural, forestry, and fishery products, held the final judging session and awards ceremony for the 10th "Food Action Nippon Award 2018" at the Rihga Royal Hotel Tokyo in Shinjuku Ward on October 23rd.
This award solicits products nationwide that leverage the appeal of domestic agricultural, forestry, and fishery products, discovering and honoring outstanding items. This year saw 1,125 entries. The final judging on this day selected 10 award-winning products from the 100 finalists chosen in the first round of judging.
The judging criteria encompassed 10 items, including "the people who cultivated the product and its background story" and "utilization of regional techniques." The final judges, comprising the top executives from 10 major domestic retailers, food service companies, and department stores, each selected one product they felt "definitely wanted to sell in their own company."
The judging results were: Futami Seika "DREETS CHOCOLAT" (Hokkaido), Shimukappu Village Wood Biomass Production Cooperative "Shimukappu Village Maple Syrup Topeniwaka" (Hokkaido), Monosaki "Kakunoshin Beef Sauce" (Iwate), Mashiko Company "Torotama Pudding" (Tochigi), Kurinomi Garden's "Obuse Eggs" (Nagano), Mochi Cream Japan's "Mochi Sauce" (Hyogo), Houfukuichi's "Fuku no Homare Raw Chili Oil with Dried Sardines and Rakkyo" (Tottori), Kaidenen Kurosaka Seicha's "Cha no Beze" (Okayama), Oguni Souvenir Project's "Oguni Jersey Butter Sandwich" (Kumamoto), Yasudaya "Mochi Pizza Sheet" (Miyazaki) received awards.
Furthermore, as it will soon be five years since "washoku" (Japanese cuisine) was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, products aligned with the "Let's! Wagohan Project" initiative, which aims to protect and pass on washoku culture, were honored with a special award. The award was presented to three companies: M Corporation's "Kinka Mackerel Sushi" (Miyagi), Sugano's "Burdock and Kelp for Rice" (Tochigi), and Iwatani's "Kishu Plum Sea Bream" (Wakayama).
Mr. Minoru Ono of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' Minister's Secretariat commented, "While Japanese cuisine is gaining attention overseas, domestic eating habits are diversifying, leading to a fading of traditional food culture." He added, "We aim to discover appealing, high-quality products and deliver them to consumers through each company's foundry, thereby enhancing Japan's unique food culture."
In closing remarks, Ms. Keiko Nishi of the Ministry's Food Industry Bureau concluded, "Every product had a story from its maker and overflowed with care for consumers. This became an opportunity to introduce new products throughout Japan and to the world."
Official website: http://syokuryo.jp/award/
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