Green House and Toyo Medical Announce Demonstration Results of Food Environment Creation Utilizing Unique 'Salt Offset Technology' at Kanagawa's 'BAK'

Green House Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President: Chiaki Tanuma; hereinafter 'Green House') and Toyo Medical Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kumamoto-shi, Kumamoto; President: Hidenori Takeshita; hereinafter 'Toyo Medical') reported the results of their co-creation project within Kanagawa Prefecture's open innovation program 'Business Accelerator Kanagawa (BAK)' at a results presentation held on March 18, 2026.

Both companies reporting the results of their co-creation project

The 'salt offset technology' using alginate, a seaweed component from Toyo Medical, was integrated with Green House's advanced cooking expertise. They announced demonstration results aimed at creating a new food environment that transforms daily meals into 'health infrastructure' without compromising taste.

◇Background: Serious excessive salt intake and the limits of 'enduring salt reduction'

Currently, the average daily salt intake in Japan is 10.9g for men and 9.3g for women, significantly exceeding the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's target of 7g. High salt intake is also said to be a major factor causing high blood pressure.

However, conventional measures have mainly focused on 'salt reduction by thinning the taste,' which has led to low satisfaction among eaters and difficulty in sustained adoption. To address this issue, both companies conducted demonstration experiments using 'salt offset technology,' which converts salt (sodium) into a form that is difficult for the body to absorb using alginate, in various food settings, verifying its acceptability and practicality for social implementation.

◇Results of the demonstration experiment: Two developed solutions

① Salt Offset Menu

Menus were developed that incorporate alginate into staple foods, side dishes, and desserts to 'offset' salt content without changing the amount of salt. The satisfaction of eaters and the practicality in cooking environments were verified through tasting sessions for Green House employees and at elderly care facilities managed by the company.

Overall menu satisfaction: An 86% 'satisfied/somewhat satisfied' response was received from an survey conducted among employees involved in social implementation, such as sales departments with touchpoints in Green House's corporate cafeterias and elderly care facilities, registered dietitians responsible for menu creation, departments promoting health management, and restaurant/hotel businesses, as well as project stakeholders.

Continued intention: Extremely high acceptability was shown, with 75% of residents in elderly care facilities hoping for continued provision in the future.

Practicality of alginate in cooking: Through the demonstration, challenges such as alginate being 'difficult to dissolve in water' and 'incompatible with certain menus' were overcome by incorporating Green House's cooking techniques and nutritional knowledge. The burden on the cooking staff was reduced to an 'almost none' level, demonstrating its potential as a menu item that can be provided daily.

② Salt Offset Jelly

Development of stick jelly for personal care, such as when eating out, and a continuous intake test (※1) targeting 153 individuals for 14 days (two weeks) were conducted.

Verification of effectiveness: Compared to before intake, urinary sodium levels significantly decreased on day 7, and this reduced state tended to be maintained on day 14. This trend was particularly strong in groups with originally high salt intake.

Perceived improvement in swelling: A perceived improvement in 'swelling in the legs' was confirmed on both day 7 and day 14 compared to before intake.

Marketability as a product: Survey results showed that 78% indicated 'purchase intent (including conditional),' and 64% indicated 'continued intent,' demonstrating high potential as a new option for salt care.

※1 Test name: Verification of urinary sodium levels and perceived changes through continuous intake of salt offset jelly,
Test ID: UMIN000060362 (Registered in the University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trial Registry System)

◇Comments from both companies

Green House Group

Green Food Management Systems Co., Ltd.

GreeneX Plus Promotion Office (Registered Dietitian) Manager Hiromi Matsuo

Since its establishment, the Green House Group has sincerely faced various food settings to support everyone's health through food. Meals considering salt content have played an important role as a basis for health promotion, but with diversifying lifestyles and preferences, we feel that options that can be continued more effortlessly are needed in addition to conventional salt reduction approaches. In this co-creation, by combining Toyo Medical's salt offset technology with our cooking and nutritional knowledge, we were able to confirm the potential of new options. We will continue to work on increasing healthy food options tailored to each individual, while valuing the joy and satisfaction of eating.

Toyo Medical Co., Ltd.

Marketing Department Manager (Registered Dietitian) Konatsu Matsushita

Our company aims to realize a world where 'deliciousness' and 'health' are not given up.