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.”
*Available only through designated sales channels
Due to the effects of global warming, rising temperatures are attracting greater attention as a social issue and heatstroke cases are on the rise since Japan has been experiencing longer summers and winters recently. The Group has supported the "Heat Illness Prevention-Communication Project" and addresses hydration and electrolyte‑replenishment needs through products such as Ice Box, in Jelly Energy Lemon, in Tablet Added Sodium, and Morinaga Amazake.
As a jelly drink designed to support children during their growth period, we offer in Jelly Junior Energy in two flavors—grape and apple—which allows children to conveniently and enjoyably consume energy before sports or study, along with nutrients beneficial for growth. Each pouch provides 160 kcal of energy, a serving of calcium*, vitamin D, iron, and glucose, which serves as an energy source for thinking. The flavors were selected based on their popularity among children: apple and grape.
*Calculated based on more than one‑third of the recommended intake for boys and girls aged 8–11, as specified in the Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2020).
Our Group conducts daily research and development through the “Morinaga “No More Allergies” Lab, developing products with fewer allergens to provide greater choice alongside good taste,” with the aim of creating a world where everyone can enjoy food regardless of whether they have food allergies.
In March FY2024, we launched “OKOMETO,” the Group’s first plant‑based milk ice cream*1 made using "rice". During development, we sought input from households raising children with food allergies—who often have limited options for ice cream they can eat—as well as from experts specializing in rice flour cooking and rice‑flour‑based snacks.
In addition, OKOMETO, which uses domestically produced rice milk and rice flour does not contain 28 allergens such as milk, eggs, soybeans, and animal ingredients*2, has become an ice cream that responds to a wide range of plant-based food needs.
In October FY2024, we launched “Mini Moonlight Made with Rice Flour,” a baked confection that does not use wheat or milk as allergenic ingredients.*
“Moonlight,” first released in 1960, is one of our flagship products within the Morinaga biscuit lineup. While retaining the soft and mellow egg flavor characteristic of Moonlight, this new bite‑sized baked confection was developed and offers a crisp texture without using wheat or milk—both common allergens. Through this product, we aim to support our customers’ wellness by offering an option that a wider range of people can enjoy.
*This product is manufactured on shared equipment that also handles items containing wheat and milk.
In the U.S. candy market, which continues to grow steadily, demand for health‑conscious products—such as sugar‑free candies—has been increasing as consumers look to manage their weight and sugar intake.
Within the HI‑CHEW brand, we are enhancing the attributes valued by HI‑CHEW users, such as fruitiness, texture, and excitement, while also responding to a broad range of customer needs. To this end, we offer health‑focused products such as HI‑CHEW infusions, which uses only natural flavors, and HI‑CHEW REDUCED‑SUGAR, which contains 30% less sugar than conventional products.
In the United States, consumer awareness of health and physical conditioning is very high, and a large wellness‑focused food market exists, with further expansion expected. Recognizing that jelly drinks, which are familiar in Japan, are not yet common in the U.S., our Group conducted consumer research in the market and developed “Chargel,” a jelly drink formulated for U.S. consumers.
Positioned as a hydrating snack, we continue to introduce Chargel to everyday snacking occasions and the broader food market in the United States, working to build demand and establish the product in the market.
Aiming to provide "health of body" to our customers, we sponsor the online sports event “Satsuki Run & Walk,” operated by R-bies Co., Ltd., which manages the “RUNNET” website connecting with many runners.
“Satsuki Run & Walk” is a running and walking event that participants can join anytime and anywhere using only a smartphone. Because even those who are not accustomed to exercise or older adults can easily take part as part of their daily routine, we began sponsoring the event in FY2023 to help create opportunities for physical activity that had declined during the COVID‑19 pandemic. In FY2025, 338,775 people participated. We have also sponsored past events such as the “Satsuki Relay Marathon,” held at the JAPAN NATIONAL STADIUM, and the “October Run & Walk.”
We will continue to support the creation of opportunities for customers to engage in physical activity and to encourage ongoing participation in exercise.
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.
As the initiatives for "health of environment", we aim to eliminate waste from society by supplying non-standard products generated during manufacturing at affordable prices without discarding them. We released non-standard Potelong with irregular lengths in FY2022, as well as non-standard MOON LIGHT and Chocolate Chip Cookie with cracking in FY2023 and FY2024, respectively.
We will continue to promote the recycling and effective use of food resources through these initiatives, aiming to contribute to "health of environment".
Overseas as well, we take "health of environment" into consideration. In the United States, we have developed and launched “HI‑CHEW Bites,” an extension of the HI‑CHEW brand that removes individual candy wrappers.
"1 Chocolate for 1 Smile" is an initiative that we have been working on since 2008 to improve the sustainability of chocolate. We use a part of sales of our products to support efforts to improve the educational environment for children who will lead the future of cacao producing countries such as Ghana, to address child labor issues, and to raise the income of cacao farmers. In addition to donations made throughout the year, we also implement customer-participatory support activities in which "actions" such as purchasing products or participating in campaigns lead to donations.
Our support partners are Plan International, an international NGO, and ACE, an NGO born in Japan.
Employees also visit support areas and engage in dialogue with cocoa farmers, adults, and government officials, as well as children of cocoa farmers.
| Content of support | Number |
|---|---|
| Total amount of support | 338,567,446 yen |
| Number of years supporting | 17 years |
| Number of countries, villages and settlements that we provided support | 6 countries, and 183 villages and settlements |
| Number of children that we provided support | 17,503 |
| Number of children of cacao producing countries free from child labor | 627 |
| Number of schools that we provided support | 91 |
| Number of adults who learned about issues such as education and child labor through the project | 7,077 |
Ghanaian children receiving school meals provided by the support
Dialogue between our employees and cocoa farmers
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!
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.
We also engage in corporate citizenship activities such as education for the younger generation.