Following the historic 'Meal Allowance' revision after 42 years, welfare and food service giants team up: Edenred Japan accelerates nationwide expansion of 'Meal Allowance' by strengthening ties with industry leaders Benefit One and EWEL
Edenred Japan is partnering with Benefit One and EWEL to expand its 'Ticket Restaurant' service in response to the doubling of the tax-exempt limit for meal allowances in April 2026. They are also partnering with major chains like Matsuya and Yoshinoya to promote meal allowances as social infrastructure.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: March 31, 2026 at 00:00
- 🔍 Collected: March 30, 2026 at 22:56
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 24, 2026 at 07:51 (584h 55m after Collected)
Edenred Japan Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Sotaro Amano, hereinafter referred to as the Company), which operates the employee benefit meal allowance service 'Ticket Restaurant', will strengthen its alliance with welfare industry giants Benefit One Inc. and EWEL Inc., taking the opportunity of the expansion of the tax-exempt limit of the 'Meal Allowance System' scheduled to be enforced after April 1, 2026 (Wednesday), and will start providing 'Ticket Restaurant' through both companies' welfare services.
Furthermore, a new service has been launched where advantageous coupons for a total of 12 brands from 7 companies, including Matsuya Foods Holdings Co., Ltd., Yoshinoya Co., Ltd., and Seven-Eleven Japan Co., Ltd., can be used through the Ticket Restaurant official app. Through large-scale collaboration beyond the boundaries of the industry, we will raise Japan's meal allowances to world-class standards and accelerate its establishment as a 'social infrastructure' supporting the lives of working people.
## ■ Background of this collaboration: Starting with the historic revision after 42 years, elevating Japan's 'meal allowance' to world-class standards. Becoming social infrastructure.
In many foreign countries, especially in Europe, the adoption rate of meal allowances has reached 50-70%, and the upper limit of the meal allowance exempt from income tax is at a high level of approximately 25,000 to 30,000 yen per month. On the other hand, in Japan, although food prices have surged more than 1.5 times *1 over the past 40 years, the upper limit for the tax-exempt meal allowance has remained fixed at '3,500 yen per month' for 42 years. The fact that the system has been detached from reality for a long time has also had an impact, and the adoption rate of meal allowances by domestic companies is languishing at about 14% *2. In addition, the conventional image of 'meal allowance = company cafeteria' has been one of the factors hindering the spread of meal allowances. To break this situation, our company has consistently lobbied the government to raise the meal allowance to world-class standards through the sponsorship of the '3rd Wage Increase Action' and the 'Association to Promote the Relaxation of the Upper Limit of Meal Allowances'.
And finally, these efforts have pushed forward government discussions, and a historic revision, the first in 42 years, is scheduled to be enforced from April 1, 2026 (Wednesday) onwards. By instantly 'doubling' the tax-exempt limit from 3,500 yen to 7,500 yen per month, companies can drastically expand both the improvement of employees' practical disposable income and meal support while reducing their tax burden.
Taking this historic turning point as an opportunity, we aim to spread 'payment-type' meal allowances that do not depend on physical facilities to companies nationwide and establish them as an indispensable infrastructure for society. As a first step, under the key message of 'Japan's meal allowance to world-class standards. To social infrastructure.', we will strengthen our collaboration with two major welfare companies and major affiliated stores.
*1: Calculated from 'Consumer Price Index' by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
*2: Edenred estimate
## ■ Details of the Initiative
### ① Collaboration with major welfare companies - Making meal allowances the 'norm' for all companies.
To commemorate this collaboration, we have prepared a limited-time special plan that makes the initial cost free for user companies of Benefit One and EWEL. Through this, we will expand the opportunities to introduce the meal allowance system in a wide range of companies from large enterprises to small and medium-sized enterprises, and accelerate the spread of meal allowances as corporate welfare.
[Sales Overview]
Sales Start: Application acceptance starts from April 1, 2026 (Wednesday)
Target: Users utilizing the 'Cafeteria Plan' of Benefit One and EWEL
[Special Plan Overview]
Special plan target period: 202
Furthermore, a new service has been launched where advantageous coupons for a total of 12 brands from 7 companies, including Matsuya Foods Holdings Co., Ltd., Yoshinoya Co., Ltd., and Seven-Eleven Japan Co., Ltd., can be used through the Ticket Restaurant official app. Through large-scale collaboration beyond the boundaries of the industry, we will raise Japan's meal allowances to world-class standards and accelerate its establishment as a 'social infrastructure' supporting the lives of working people.
## ■ Background of this collaboration: Starting with the historic revision after 42 years, elevating Japan's 'meal allowance' to world-class standards. Becoming social infrastructure.
In many foreign countries, especially in Europe, the adoption rate of meal allowances has reached 50-70%, and the upper limit of the meal allowance exempt from income tax is at a high level of approximately 25,000 to 30,000 yen per month. On the other hand, in Japan, although food prices have surged more than 1.5 times *1 over the past 40 years, the upper limit for the tax-exempt meal allowance has remained fixed at '3,500 yen per month' for 42 years. The fact that the system has been detached from reality for a long time has also had an impact, and the adoption rate of meal allowances by domestic companies is languishing at about 14% *2. In addition, the conventional image of 'meal allowance = company cafeteria' has been one of the factors hindering the spread of meal allowances. To break this situation, our company has consistently lobbied the government to raise the meal allowance to world-class standards through the sponsorship of the '3rd Wage Increase Action' and the 'Association to Promote the Relaxation of the Upper Limit of Meal Allowances'.
And finally, these efforts have pushed forward government discussions, and a historic revision, the first in 42 years, is scheduled to be enforced from April 1, 2026 (Wednesday) onwards. By instantly 'doubling' the tax-exempt limit from 3,500 yen to 7,500 yen per month, companies can drastically expand both the improvement of employees' practical disposable income and meal support while reducing their tax burden.
Taking this historic turning point as an opportunity, we aim to spread 'payment-type' meal allowances that do not depend on physical facilities to companies nationwide and establish them as an indispensable infrastructure for society. As a first step, under the key message of 'Japan's meal allowance to world-class standards. To social infrastructure.', we will strengthen our collaboration with two major welfare companies and major affiliated stores.
*1: Calculated from 'Consumer Price Index' by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
*2: Edenred estimate
## ■ Details of the Initiative
### ① Collaboration with major welfare companies - Making meal allowances the 'norm' for all companies.
To commemorate this collaboration, we have prepared a limited-time special plan that makes the initial cost free for user companies of Benefit One and EWEL. Through this, we will expand the opportunities to introduce the meal allowance system in a wide range of companies from large enterprises to small and medium-sized enterprises, and accelerate the spread of meal allowances as corporate welfare.
[Sales Overview]
Sales Start: Application acceptance starts from April 1, 2026 (Wednesday)
Target: Users utilizing the 'Cafeteria Plan' of Benefit One and EWEL
[Special Plan Overview]
Special plan target period: 202