Experiential Event "Color-Changing, Solidifying!? Elementary School Science Cooking Class" Held on Children's Day for Parents and Children to Learn and Have Fun

Farmind Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Itaru Kobayashi; hereinafter, Farmind), which operates a nationwide cold chain to protect the quality of fruits and vegetables and support stable supply, held an experiential event, "Color-Changing, Solidifying!? Elementary School Science Cooking Class," on May 5, 2026 (Children's Day), fully utilizing in-season Taiwanese pineapples. This event aimed to provide a fun learning experience for parents and children, addressing social issues such as "children's fruit aversion" and "household food loss," with Taiwanese pineapples, which have established a 9.5% share in the Japanese market, as the theme. On the day of the event, 51 pairs of elementary school students and their guardians, totaling 102 people, participated in a program combining cooking and experiments, supervised by a registered dietitian. The event provided an opportunity to convey the characteristics and deliciousness of Taiwanese pineapples in an easy-to-understand manner, and to foster familiarity with fruits and increase interest in them while having fun. Event held against the backdrop of "children's fruit aversion" and approximately 2.36 million tons of "household food loss" annually. In recent years, the average fruit intake for children aged 7-14 (elementary to junior high school students) (*1) is 73.9g, less than half of the 200g per day recommended by the government, indicating a continuing "children's fruit aversion." Meanwhile, household food loss, amounting to approximately 2.36 million tons annually (*2), remains a significant social issue. Fruits, which allow children to experience the "joy of eating" through their five senses—rich aroma, unique sweetness, and color changes—are easily a starting point for fostering children's "interest in food." This event was held with the aim of conveying the "joy of eating" and connecting it to learning, through practical, emotionally engaging experiences that transform children's "why?" into "aha!" moments of discovery. (*1) Children's fruit intake: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "2019 National Health and Nutrition Survey Report," Part 1: Results of Nutrient Intake Survey (cited from Table 11: Food Group Intake, Age Group "7-14 years" total). (*2) Household food loss: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Ministry of the Environment, "FY2022 Food Loss (Estimated Value)" (cited). Scenes from the event day On the day of the event, elementary school children participated as "researchers," wearing white coats. With explanations from a registered dietitian, they learned about the wonders of science born from familiar ingredients through activities such as making a "color-changing magic drink" utilizing the acidity and pH reaction of Taiwanese pineapples, and an experiment demonstrating how milk changes. It was impressive to see the children earnestly engaging in the experiments, carefully checking each step with test tubes in hand. There were also many instances of parents and children cooperating and communicating, and the venue was filled with a peaceful and warm atmosphere throughout. After completing the experiments, parents and children tasted the finished dishes together. Voices of "sweet" and "delicious" were heard, and smiles naturally spread across the venue. By tasting after hands-on learning, they deepened their understanding not only of the deliciousness of Taiwanese pineapples but also of the importance of eating them completely, fostering a greater interest in food. Ms. Saori Hirono, a registered dietitian who supervised the recipes, commented, "I feel it is very valuable to have the opportunity to directly convey the nutrition and appeal of fruits to children. At this event, I was very happy to see children enjoying themselves, enthusiastically engaging in cooking through experiments, and showing interest in fruits themselves. I hope this experience will be a catalyst for fostering their interest in eating and fruits." Participant feedback and growing interest in fruits The post-event survey received many satisfied comments about the deliciousness of Taiwanese pineapples and the unique experience of enjoying experiments and cooking with parents and children. Many also expressed increased interest in fruits, indicating that the event was valued as an opportunity for food education. Parent's voice ▶My child was captivated by the cooking class from a scientific perspective. Mixing, cutting, and eating right away made it a very fun time. My son cut pineapple and made cheese for the first time. ▶It was fun and educational, visually appealing, and it was great to participate as a family. I hope you plan it again. ▶It was good to learn about the process of how food reaches us. ▶I want to try making cheese with milk and pineapple juice at home. ▶Both cooking and science experiments were enjoyable, and my child and I had a very fun and delicious time. Child's voice ▶It was fun to make and eat by myself. I want to come again. ▶I was surprised that Taiwanese pineapple can be eaten to the core. ▶It was a sweet and delicious pineapple. I want to eat it at home too. ▶Pa