Supercharging a Delicious Health Revolution! Japan’s Functional Food & Drink

By Melissa Francis & Naoko Nomoto

Tokyoesque are experts in Europe-Japan relations and provide clients with unique cultural insights that can be used to accelerate business growth across the globe. Here, Tokyoesque discusses the growing appeal of functional food among consumers in Japan.

The Japanese diet is widely commended for being rich in naturally healthy attributes, even if it is sometimes a little high in sodium. There are an increasing number of options, however, catering towards those who are seeking improved nutritional intake on-the-go. Japanese companies have been constantly innovating in this area to generate new and interesting products that provide a nutritional or beautifying boost.

In this article, Tokyoesque explores Japan’s functional food market, looking into some of the key branding strategies associated with their promotion, and exactly which ‘functions’ are most often being championed.

Why is ‘functional food’ so important in Japan?

From the time Japanese residents turn thirty, they undergo compulsory annual health assessments. These checks are designed to measure the degree of overall wellness and identify any potential areas of concern. This results in a personalised scorecard with recommendations on how to address any existing issues and prevent future ailments.

The functional sector comprises a wide range of food and beverages which often purport similar effects to some dietary supplements. Known locally as kinousei hyouji shokuhin (機能性表示食品), items in this category tend to go above and beyond giving consumers naturally-occuring benefits as foods are given additional functionality by incorporating new ingredients or higher quantities of existing ingredients. For example, calcium and iron can be lacking in a typical Japanese diet, so these are often used as fortifiers.

It’s also important to note that as a cultural characteristic, Japanese consumers tend to prefer product packaging that has lots of description and numerical data, along with the scientific names of the nutrients and detailed information regarding their effects. This gives the product a sense of reliability, which is always important when marketing functional foods.

Commonly cited benefits of consuming functional food and drinks include; balancing of gut bacteria, weight management, combating the often stressful ‘businessman lifestyle’, and aiding specific beauty goals such as maintaining clear, supple skin.

According to research by Yano Research Institute, the functional food market in Japan has recently experienced an increase in supply to meet the growing demand. Much of the success of these products, however, has been owed to strong branding strategies and effective point-of-sale messaging. It should be noted that a significant proportion of the target market for products claiming improved digestion and skin health is women.

An emphasis on boosting gut health

Gut health in Japan is nothing like any other market. Nyusankin (lactic acid) is a household term that everybody knows, and is used increasingly in any product that promotes gut health properties.

LOTTE’s Nyusankin Chocolat series is a chocolate bar infused with lactic acid. It’s designed to allow people the freedom to actively choose chocolate as a snack, whilst being able to reap the benefits of lactobacillus brevis, a strain of friendly living gut bacteria that works to keep the intestinal environment in optimal condition.

Nyusankin Chocolat was first released in 2015, with the aim of revitalising the existing sweets market in Japan, which the R&D team realised had been plateauing for at least a decade. One of the main objectives was to reach the increasingly health-conscious group of female consumers, providing them with a guilt-free snack that is both simple and delicious to consume. Just half a year after its initial release, Nyusankin Chocolat saw ¥2 billion JPY in sales, which represented 140% of the projections. There are now several varieties that consumers can choose from, including one with almonds, and a 70% cacao version.

Source: http://foodsnews.com/articles/view/57317

Lactic acid is also added to many different types of products, ranging from soft drinks, to gummies and cookies, etc. The second most popular additive is fibre, which is often combined with lactic acid for double impact, as is the case with Glico’s Bisco biscuits. They are a traditional snack but have been rebranded in a more contemporary style, claiming improved health benefits.

Source: https://dime.jp/genre/634949/

It’s so common to see Lactic acid nowadays in the Japanese market that more emerging brands are selling products that incorporate other gut-healthy bacteria. These include Gazelli SB, R-1, LG21, L-92. The list is endless — however it’s important to note that product names are often the scientific name of the nutrient itself, which helps to give a true sense of reliability and effectiveness.

Source: https://athleterecipe.com/column/21/articles/201811020000378

Options that naturally aid weight management

The tea drinking culture is deeply entrenched in Japan, and there are various bottled teas for refreshment on-the-go. In addition to their existing health benefits, big brands such as Suntory and Ito-en have long produced product lineups that include ingredients to aid weight loss. The following five drinks from Suntory especially target consumers looking for a way to break down excess body fat.

Source: https://calori.jp/easy/post-16521/

The image above displays the following products:

• Goma Mugicha (Sesame Barley Tea) — “contains sesame peptide that is good for high blood pressure”
• Kuro Oolong cha (Black Oolong Tea) — “contains polyphenol that prevents absorption of fat”
• Lemon Tokucha (Lemon Special Tea) — “decreases body fat”
• Pepsi Special — “includes indigestible dextrin that prevents absorption of and releases fat)
• Boss Coffee — “decreases fat absorption through the mannooligosaccharides in coffee beans”

Stress relief for the health-conscious but time poor businessman

Source: https://mainichi.jp/articles/20160927/gnw/00m/040/000000c

There are also many products that combat stress and tiredness through functional additives. Glico’s GABA chocolates are one of the most popular examples, as it contains the amino acid ‘GABA’ which has been proven to help the brain relax and prevent hyperactivity. When it was first launched on the market in May 2005, the actual sales reached more than double what they were initially predicted, to the value of 4 billion yen (£28 million GBP). In recent years some of the regulations for ‘Functional Foods’ have been loosened, and thus GABA’s slogan was changed from “For those who fight in a stressful society (stress shakai de tatakau anata ni — ストレス社会で闘うあなたに)” to a more direct slogan, “Decreases stress (stress wo teigen suru — ストレスを低減する)”.

Other companies that sell GABA products are Morinaga, with their ready-to-drink coffee and chocolate milk. Morinaga’s research in 2018 demonstrated that between 2012–2017, the GABA chocolate market in Japan has been on the rise, as has the consumer demand to easily enjoy delicious and accessible snacks. Now, these products have taken on the term ‘Functional Chocolate’ (kinousei chocolate 機能性チョコレート) and are growing in popularity. On-the-go drinks with anti-stress properties are also on the rise.

Source: https://www.morinagamilk.co.jp/release/newsentry-2832.html

Internal beauty leads to external beauty

There are a variety of products specifically targeted at women, that include collagen, Co-enzyme Q10, Hyaluronic Acid, Polyphenol. These are all household terms among Japanese women and are contained in a wide variety of snacks and drinks.

From: https://mognavi.jp/news/tabekurabe/78734/

One of the leading drinks containing beauty-promoting nutrients is Eisai’s Chocola BB and House C100 Vitamin Lemon. They have Vitamin C, Niacin, Collagen, and Hyaluronic Acid, which are all linguistic cues that appeal to Japanese women. Across social media, these functional foods are often posted by female consumers with the tag #kosumeshi (コスメシ, a made-up term that is short for “cosme meshi” meaning ‘cosmetic foods’, so food that has beauty effects). Cosmetics implies external beauty, however the recent beauty trend in Japan is that you create external beauty from within. Therefore such functional foods (kosumeshi) are very popular, as they are seen to provide a more beautiful appearance as a direct result of what has been consumed.

So what can we learn from the functional food market in Japan?

To summarise, it’s important to remember that Japanese consumers tend to prefer detailed product packaging with lots of information and data that points to efficiency and trustworthiness. If you are selling functional foods in Japan, it would be beneficial to localise products in this way to build more traction. Functional chocolate is one of the top trending areas, with ever-increasing sales. It’s very characteristic to have gendered products in Japan, especially those targeting women. This is very much the case when it comes to functional food and drink. After all, one recent trend in Japan is to strive for visible, external beauty by first nurturing a healthy internal environment.

The most sought-after functional products have significant benefits, can demonstrate proven efficacy, and can be consumed with ease. Creating eye-catching point-of-sale promotions could generate heightened awareness and encourage purchases. In terms of design, the packaging should look ‘cool’ for those products targeting a male demographic (using bold visuals, as with the GABA chocolates) and ‘pretty’ for those try to appeal to female consumers (flower patterns, etc. as with the example of the BB Chocola drink). This may all seem very binary in terms of gender stereotypes, but in Japan these differentiations in visual branding and messaging ensure that semiotic codes will be recognised by the intended market.

An ideal location to champion functional products would be in convenience stores, as busy office workers tend to drive demand within the functional food market; this group is always looking for accessible options that keep them energised and healthy for longer.

Tokyoesque offers a full localisation package service which enables you to maximise your brand’s impact in the Japanese market. To see how your business would fare in Japan today, try our free diagnostic tool here. It only takes a few minutes!