There is a company that is trying to reduce costs by purchasing large quantities of raw materials such as vegetables when they are cheap, processing them into prepared meals, and then freezing them. This major lunch box company is taking advantage of its strengths, such as purchasing vegetables in large quantities to reduce costs. This company is the familiar “Hoka Hoka Tei.” The standard nori lunch box that we eat costs 460 yen. This company says it will reduce this to 250 yen in one go. Frozen lunches that can be stocked up are considered more convenient than regular lunches. In the past, frozen foods were associated with the image that they were not tasty. However, it is now common to see that frozen fried rice sold in stores is more tasty than fried rice that you make yourself. If cheap and tasty frozen lunches are good for your health, there is no doubt that they will become popular.
The World Economic Forum has announced the Gender Gap Index, which measures gender inequality in each country. This index is created from data in four areas: “economy,” “education,” “health,” and “politics.” Japan’s ranking in 2022 was 116th out of 146 countries (120th out of 156 countries last time). This is the lowest level among developed countries. This ranking is lower than South Korea, China, and ASEAN countries among Asian countries. In the case of dual-income couples in Japan, the burden tends to fall on the woman. Cooking is still often the responsibility of women. This is that the gender gap comes in. Frozen foods are a tool to reduce this gender gap. Frozen foods can be easily cooked even by dual-income couples. You can cook without any effort by just putting it in the microwave.
Consumers are looking for health-conscious foods, and attention is being paid to protein. In the midst of this, an interesting product has been developed. “Raw okara” made when making tofu was known to be highly nutritious. The downside was that it spoiled quickly. Kikkoman has established the know-how to dry this raw okara and has succeeded in turning it into a powder. This okara has a shelf life of about one year, making it a useful ingredient. By eating it on rice, you can now consume protein at any time. You can eat the frozen lunch box of 250 yen in the microwave. And by getting the protein you need in the form of furikake, you may be able to get a healthy future. Furthermore, this may lead to fun meals and the elimination of the gender gap.
