140 Companies, 200 Participants Gathered! 'FROZEN SUMMIT 2026' Event Report

## 'FROZEN SUMMIT 2026' Event Report

Daybreak Inc. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; President: Masayuki Kinoshita), a provider of high-quality freezing solutions, hosted 'FROZEN SUMMIT 2026' on May 15, 2026. This year's event was limited to 200 participants and was fully booked. This report covers the event, where attendees explored the future of the high-quality freezing market through cross-industry case sharing and networking.

### About 'JAPAN FROZEN SUMMIT'

'JAPAN FROZEN SUMMIT' is an annual networking event for those interested in the frozen food business, including Art Lock Freezer users. Through sharing the latest case studies, expert insights, and networking, the summit aims to foster growth in the frozen business and the overall development of the high-quality frozen food market. The theme this year was 'Developing the high-quality frozen food market through cross-industry collaboration.' In an environment where the food industry faces increasing challenges like labor shortages and rising raw material costs, the summit sought new possibilities through industry cooperation rather than acting in silos.

### A Community Started by Five Producers

President Kinoshita kicked off the event by sharing the history of the Japan Frozen Summit. 'It started with just five producers. I am truly happy to see it grow into a forum with 200 participants,' he said, expressing gratitude for the connections formed through freezing and his desire to further energize the market.

The program was divided into three main parts:
- Industry-specific sessions (Manufacturing, Retail, Food Service)
- Guest lectures
- Voices from the users of high-quality frozen foods

### Industry-Specific Session: Food Manufacturing

Representatives from Beishin Ishikawa, Kiraku, and Hamakan participated in the manufacturing session. They shared insights on how freezing technology has changed their production sites and challenged their product development. Beishin Ishikawa highlighted the ability to achieve both mass production and quality improvement, while Kiraku emphasized labor environment improvements through planned production. Hamakan shared their success in creating high-value-added products from local ingredients, proving their transition from a processor to a manufacturer.

### Industry-Specific Session: Retail

Representatives from the National Supermarket Association of Japan, Belc, and Champion discussed the retail sector. Data showed that frozen food sales have grown to 157% compared to fiscal year 2017. Belc shared their concept of developing 'products not found in current frozen aisles' and integrating frozen foods with prepared meals. Champion's President Takahashi spoke about the possibility of selling frozen raw materials. There was also discussion on how frozen technology contributes to labor efficiency amidst industry labor shortages.

### Industry-Specific Session: Food Service

Participants from Groovy, Food Center, and Takoichi shared their approaches to freezing signature items. They discussed meticulous efforts to adjust baking times and sizes to ensure consistent quality replication. Mr. Honma of Food Center highlighted his company's achievement in increasing sales by approximately 1.8 times without increasing headcount, showcasing the potential for efficient operations through freezing.