Together with our trading partners
Amid the globalization of the economy of recent years and the diversification of customer needs, we recognize that companies are being called on to be responsible in their compliance with laws and regulations, environmental protection, and consideration of the working environment throughout the entire supply chain.
In particular, in responses to the revisions of laws and regulations concerning food safety, including the introduction of HACCP, partnerships are key not only with our trading partners, but also in the logistics chain that delivers our products to our customers.
We also believe in the need to share recognition of sustainability issues across the entire supply chain and approach such issues in the same way, and we have obtained our trading partners’ understanding and cooperation from ESG and SDGs perspectives.
Strengthening of partnerships with our trading partners
Our trust with suppliers all over Japan has been passed down since the company’s foundation. As the name suggests, Ichimasa Yamabiko-kai, our trading partner networking association, operates with the objective of building trust in line with the spirit of our company creed, “Life is like an echo” (yamabiko means “echo”). At general assemblies of the association, we invite prominent people to deliver keynote speeches, and we use this forum to share information and deepen friendships. We also distribute information about legal matters, quality, and general administrative matters to our trading partners.
Joint study workshops (collaboration with supply chain)
With initiatives expected across the entire supply chain due to the institutionalization of HACCP in June 2021, we held a HACCP pre-introduction seminar for our trading partners.
This was a new initiative, which was held as a COVID-safe web-conference, but even so, 120 trading partners participated.
We will respond swiftly to recent changes in the environment surrounding the food industry and requirements and our entire supply chain will deliver safe, secure products to customers.
To solve social problems in logistics
Problems in the logistics industry, such as labor shortages and long working hours, have become increasingly serious, and the industry is being called on to ensure stable logistics, which are needed for people’s lives and industrial activity.
We have set up delivery depots in six locations around Japan, and by reducing the burden on each driver and promoting joint deliveries with other companies, we will contribute to the reduction of freight costs and CO2 emissions from freight.
Together with Local Communities
Tsunami evacuation facility agreement
Learning lessons from the tsunami of the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster, we set up tsunami evacuation sites in summer of 2021 on the roofs of our Headquarters and Headquarters Factory in Higashi-ward, Niigata.
Given that there are few high-rise buildings in the vicinity, we coordinated with the local governments and concluded an agreement with the Ogata Community Council in February 2013 to allow neighboring residents to take shelter in the event of a tsunami.
Under this agreement, it is envisaged that about 500 households from four neighborhood districts would use the sites, and we also continue to support evacuation drills by residents to the actual evacuation sites. The roof of the headquarters factory, which will serve as evacuation sites, can accommodate 1,200 people.
Support for food banks
Kids’ cafes are community spaces opened for the public with a focus on providing hot meals to children. The Ichimasa Group supports these activities through the provision of its products.
Participation in Zero Trash Campaign
Shiga prefecture is operating a prefectural residents’ environmental protection movement to preserve the environment and develop livable towns. Ichimasa Kamaboko has been participating in the Zero Trash Campaign organized by the government of Moriyama city, where our Kansai factory is located, since the activity first started some forty years ago.
Lake Biwa Clean-up
Participation in forest development volunteer activity
Niigata Prefecture supports the “Protectors of the Ocean” activity, which seeks to pass on a beautiful, abundant ocean to future generations.
In the belief that forest development is needed to protect the ocean, Ichimasa Kamaboko also participates in the Tanne River Salmon Forest Development and Kuwadori River Fish Forest Development projects through the JF Niigata Fisheries Cooperatives Federation.
Tanne River Salmon Forest Development
Contributions to local health promotion activities
We cooperate with local government health promotion activities by holding reduced-sodium dietary seminars for members of the Diet Improvement Promotion Council, a volunteer organization that strives to improve health through diet.
At these seminars, members of our product development teams share directly with members of the local community the knowledge and awareness about reduced-sodium diets that we have accumulated in the course of developing reduced-salt products. We are contributing to health promotion through diet so that people can reduce their salt intake appropriately and with delicious food.
Establishment of the Ichimasa Kamaboko Research Grant Scheme
In 2021, we established the Ichimasa Kamaboko Research Grant Scheme. The objective of the scheme is to subsidize research into the functionality and physical properties of fish protein. We expect such research to lead to the consumption of fish protein products. For our first grant recipients, we selected the following three proposals from 15 applications.
All three projects will become major assets for the industry in the near future.
