Healthy and Sustainable Food Environment Strategy Initiative by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: 'Quick & Delicious! Easy and Healthy Recipe Experience in Mart' for Families with Children

Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Yoichi Onuki) is participating in the 'Healthy and Sustainable Food Environment Strategy Initiative'*1 promoted by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Together with Maruto Co., Ltd., Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Umios Co., Ltd., S&B Foods Inc., House Foods Group Inc., and Maruyanagi Oguraya Co., Ltd., the seven companies jointly held a healthy recipe experience event for families with children titled 'Quick & Delicious! Easy and Healthy Recipe Experience in Mart' on May 30, 2026, at the Maruto SC Hiranishi Child Store Eat-in Space (3-1-1 Hirashi Nezuko-cho, Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture).

*1 'Healthy and Sustainable Food Environment Strategy Initiative' is a collaborative effort led by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, involving food-related businesses, academic experts, and local governments. This initiative identifies nutritional issues such as excessive salt intake, underweight among young women, and nutrition disparities due to economic gaps as critical social challenges, and aims to create an environment where everyone can naturally make healthy food choices through industry-academia-government collaboration.

1. Event Overview
(1) Event Name: Quick & Delicious! Easy and Healthy Recipe Experience in Mart
(2) Date and Time: Saturday, May 30, Reiwa 8 (2026), 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
(3) Venue: Maruto SC Hiranishi Child Store Eat-in Space (3-1-1 Hirashi Nezuko-cho, Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture)
(4) Purpose: To provide an experience that leads to healthy food choices without stress, focusing on addressing excessive salt intake through cooking ingenuity and ingredient combinations. Also aims to create opportunities for reviewing daily salt intake, especially for families.
(5) Contents: Tasting experience of health-promoting recipes, introduction of ingredients and products used.

2. Recipes Introduced
Morinaga Milk Industry introduced the recipe 'Broccoli Milk Cheese Soup' using 'Morinaga Oishii High Protein High Calcium' and 'Kraft Sliced Cheese'. This soup is rich in broccoli and features a creamy milk cheese flavor. The recipe reduces salt content while maintaining satisfaction by combining milk richness and cheese umami. It proposes healthy eating without relying on salty taste. Additionally, using 'Kraft Sliced Cheese' and 'Morinaga Oishii High Protein High Calcium' ensures protein and calcium intake, balancing health value and taste.

3. Comment from Organizer (Mr. Nobuyoshi Shiozawa, Director, Nutrition Guidance Office, Health Division, Health and Lifestyle Department, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)
Many visitors commented that the dishes were as delicious and satisfying as regular meals but with less salt, and that the experience prompted them to reconsider their eating habits. The collaboration among companies generated new value. This initiative will be expanded nationwide through prefectures. The Ministry will strengthen ties with local governments and companies to promote a naturally healthy food environment rooted in communities.

4. Voices of Participants
[Comments from Participating Companies and Organizers]
Companies appreciated directly hearing consumer opinions, gaining insights for future product development. The event used 'convenience' and 'taste' as entry points to naturally attract interest and lead to healthy choices. Collaborative recipes from multiple companies also sparked interest and produced meaningful regional engagement.

[Comments from Visitors]
Visitors highly praised the collaboration and satisfaction with the menu. They said the dishes were delicious despite being low-salt, and that they were as good as or better than regular meals. Many noted that the richness and umami made them forget about salt reduction, and that they could naturally enjoy healthy eating.

5. Future Outlook
Morinaga Milk Industry, under its corporate slogan 'For a Bright Smile' and catchphrase 'What you can do for your gut today,' conducts various activities focused on gut health. Its participation aims to leverage dairy expertise to promote healthy living through food and create an environment where people can naturally choose healthy options. The company will continue collaborating with government, distribution, and food businesses to spread the importance of a 'food environment' that supports health, contributing to a sustainable society.