Watami's Home Meal Delivery Service 'Yoi Hi no Gozen' Surpasses 5 Million Cumulative Meals Sold – Delivering at 450 Yen Per Meal Amid Rising Prices

Watami Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Ota-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, Chairman and President CEO: Miki Watanabe) operates the meal delivery service 'Watami no Takushoku'. Since October 2025, the company has been delivering the low-priced bento box for the elderly, 'Yoi Hi no Gozen', nationwide at 450 yen per meal (tax included).

Since the start of sales, many customers have used the service, and the company announced that the cumulative number of meals sold reached 5 million in April 2026.

'Yoi Hi no Gozen' is a prepared bento box for seniors aged 75 and over, sold at 450 yen per meal (tax included), including home delivery. The product features a well-balanced menu supervised by a registered dietitian, with a focus on taste, offered at a price that is easy to continue, which has been well-received by many customers.

Watami no Takushoku will continue to deliver products that achieve low prices, taste, and nutritional balance, aiming to help elderly people live fulfilling daily lives.

■ Reasons for Surpassing 5 Million Cumulative Meals Sold: Balancing Low Price and Taste in 'Yoi Hi no Gozen'

To continue offering the product at a low price despite ongoing price increases, 'Yoi Hi no Gozen' was developed over two years by reviewing all aspects of procurement, manufacturing, and logistics. This has achieved both a low price of 450 yen per meal and high quality and taste.

① Procurement

◎ Expanded supplier base to procure tasty and inexpensive ingredients from around the world.
◎ Reduced raw material costs by reviewing ingredient procurement and cooking at the company's own factory.

② Manufacturing

◎ Enhanced heating and cooling equipment through capital investment to pursue taste.
◎ Produces 6 meals in 2 days of operation, achieving high productivity and enabling low-price sales.

③ Logistics

◎ Extended shelf life by scrutinizing ingredients and menus and changing container formats, maintaining safety and taste.
◎ Extended shelf life allows delivery of 3 days' worth of meals at once, reducing delivery costs.
◎ Adjusted container sizes by the millimeter to improve delivery efficiency.

■ Product Overview of 'Yoi Hi no Gozen'

For 'Yoi Hi no Gozen', a registered dietitian designs a daily changing menu with attention to nutritional balance. The company also focuses on taste by using its original 'Watami no Kasane Dashi' and handcrafting the products at its own factory. In developing the new product, repeated prototyping and verification were conducted, adjusting cooking methods and menu combinations while checking flavor and texture, to ensure taste is maintained even when manufacturing and delivering 3 days' worth of meals at once.

*Sold as a 6-day course. There is a 'Monday-Thursday Course' delivering 6 meals (for Monday to Saturday) in two shipments of 3 meals each on Mondays and Thursdays, and a 'Tuesday-Friday Course' delivering 6 meals (for Tuesday to Sunday) in two shipments of 3 meals each on Tuesdays and Fridays. *The salt equivalent is the average for the 6-day course.

■ About 'Full Refund'

Eligible customers: Those using Watami no Takushoku for the first time, or those who have not used the service for over 6 months.

Eligible products: Yoi Hi no Okazu, Yoi Hi no Gozen

*Limited to the first week's delivery. *Not applicable for use from the second week onwards. *Not applicable for product changes from the second week onwards.

■ About 'Watami no Takushoku'

Watami no Takushoku aims to become an 'infrastructure supporting society' by delivering daily changing meals and 'heartfelt service'. Bento boxes and side dishes are delivered by 'Magokoro Staff' who live in the same area as the customers. The service delivers approximately 240,000 bento boxes and side dishes daily and has achieved the 'No.1 market share in the patient/elderly meal delivery market for 16 consecutive years' (2010-2025).

In March 2020, the company became the first in the industry to launch a nationwide initiative to collect its own bento containers and recycle them into new containers, contributing to the achievement of SDGs.

*No.1 market share in the 'patient/elderly meal delivery market' (2010-2025)
Source: 'Food Service Industry Marketing Handbook 2011-2026' (Fuji Keizai Co., Ltd.)

■ Watami Co., Ltd.

[Address] 1-1-3 Haneda, Ota-ku, Tokyo
[Representative] Representative Director, Chairman and President CEO: Miki Watanabe
[Established] May 1986
[Business] Domestic food service business, overseas business, home meal delivery business, agriculture, environmental business, human resources service business
[Website URL] http://www.watami.co.jp