The demand for products that can easily replenish proteins is growing due to interest in body building and habits of training resulting from a rising health awareness, and as prevention for sarcopenia and frailness in the elderly. The Morinaga Group is expanding its lineup of protein supply products among the “in-” brand, including “in Jelly.” Recently, we have been working on enhancing added value such as by introducing E lutein, which strengthens the function of proteins.
There is an increasing occurrence of heat strokes due to the rising average temperature along with global warming. The Morinaga Group agrees with the Heat Illness Prevention - Communication Project, and is responding to the needs for replenishing water and salt through our products of in Jelly <Energy Lemon>, in Tablet, Morinaga Amazake, and Ice Box.
In May 2023, we sponsored an online sports event called Satsuki Run & Walk by R-bies, INC., which organized the website RUNNET and has connections with many runners. The event makes it possible for people to participate in running and walking events anytime, anywhere, if they have a smartphone. As even those who are not good at exercising and the elderly can easily participate during their day-to-day lives, our aim was to create opportunities for exercise, which have declined due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 250,916 people participated in the event. We also sponsored the Satsuki Relay Marathon held at Japan National Stadium. In October 2023, we sponsored October Run & Walk. We will continue to strive to create opportunities for consumers to exercise and encourage their participation.
Satsuki Run & Walk, easily participable with a smartphone
Satsuki Relay Marathon
We offer a lineup of small portion sizes in some of our products, such as chocolate and biscuits. By keeping the amount per bag small, customers can choose the amount that best suits their mood.
The Morinaga Group operates a training lab that supports the body building and nutrition counseling for top athletes. We provide articles put together by trainers and dieticians of the Training Lab on our website, “Easy-to-understand textbook on protein.” The website gets an average of 1.5 million visits per month with a multitude of information from protein selection by Purpose of use, to food menu, and workout advice.
The One Chocolate for One Smile project is aimed at aiding the activities to improve the educational environment for children in cacao-producing countries, using revenues from the sale of our chocolate products subject to the project (such as Dars).
In addition to our yearly support, we donate one yen per eligible chocolate product sold during the designated months. Since this project started in 2008, it marked its 15th anniversary in 2023.
The activities are proceeded by our aid partners, Plan International Japan, a public interest incorporated foundation, and Action against Child Exploitation (ACE), an authorized NPO.
These activities, which mainly target African countries such as Ghana and Cameroon, aim to support all children so that they can receive quality education and their homes and communities can achieve stability enough to provide education to the children and protect their rights. This project also enables to these partners to improve the school environment including sanitary aspect, provide guidance of agricultural techniques to farmers, and to raise awareness of children's rights through education in the aid areas. These activities helped to stop child labor, thereby increasing the number of children who can go to school.
Children in Ghana enjoying school meals provided by the support program
Many of the products of the “in-” business have a high affinity with active scenes such as sports and can be consumed anytime, anywhere on the go. However, we recognize that this is closely
related to the social issue of plastic waste in cities.
Therefore, the “in-” business hopes to contribute to “health of environment” by spreading a new sport called “plogging,” in which people pick up trash while jogging. In March 2023, we held a plogging event with Kuki City, Saitama Prefecture, which has made a declaration to be a city of health, happiness, and sports and with which we have a comprehensive partnership agreement. The event was held in collaboration with Yokohama F. Marinos, with which we concluded a partnership agreement in July with volunteers from Yokohama City’s Tsurumi Ward Office, the ward of which is the location of a manufacturing plant for in Bar Protein, and the Yokohama City Sports Association.
We believe that we can expand the circle of initiatives by collaborating with companies and organizations from different pathways, such as professional sports teams that embody the appeal of sports and have the power to communicate, local governments that are working to improve the health of citizens and create comfortable cities, and our company that provides foods suitable for active scenes.
Plogging is an opportunity for people who enjoy running on a regular basis, as well as people who are not good at sports, to move their bodies, leading to the creation of opportunities for exercise. We also believe that the experience of cleaning up the city while exercising with friends contributes to “health of mind,” such as “feeling connected to others.” By promoting these activities, we will link them not only to “heath of environment” but also to “health of mind” and “health of body.”
Plogging presented by Morinaga in Jelly conducted in Minato-ku Tokyo in October 2023
Plogging event in Kuki City, Saitama
Plogging event held with Yokohama F. Marinos, volunteers of Yokohama City’s Tsurumi Ward Office, and the Yokohama City Sports Association
Plogging presented by Morinaga in Jelly in Minato-ku Tokyo
Plogging with colleagues is fun!
We also engage in corporate citizenship activities such as education for the younger generation.