Regional Japanese food products expand to national markets

Several Japanese companies are expanding the reach of traditional regional foods through specialized retail and meal kit services.

Family Network Systems Co., Ltd. has added a new main dish to its ‘One Mile Kenko Dinner’ frozen meal series. The dish, featuring Hokkaido red flounder and eggplant with a thickened sauce, is produced by Yada Ken Shoten, a long-standing establishment founded in 1919. The series focuses on using 100% domestic ingredients and additive-free recipes, designed for easy preparation via hot water or running water.

Separately, Core-Business Co., Ltd., operator of the direct-from-producer gift site ‘Toretate Net’, has begun selling traditional Odawara-style dried fish (himono). The product lineup includes various species such as horse mackerel, halfbeak, and mackerel, utilizing traditional preservation techniques from the Sagami Bay region to bring regional flavors to a national customer base.