〈日本知財学会誌〉Vol. 19 No. 2― 2022 : 37 42-

The Goals, Issues, and Measures of Foodtech Acceleration
Moeha Ido（Assistant Director, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Minister’s Secretariat, New Business and Food Industry Policy Division, Planning Group）

フードテック推進の目標，課題及び対応策について
農林水産省 大臣官房

井戸萌愛

新事業・食品産業部 企画グループ 課長補佐

【Abstract】 Foodtech comprises businesses, which facilitate the food supply meeting expanding food demands and realizing environmental protection, and reconcile such diverse consumer demands as health and environmental
consciousness. There are still issues to be solved to accelerate the incubation of new foodtech businesses. This paper discusses the direction and goals of foodtech before addressing related business incubation issues.
【Keywords】 foodtech

innovation

rulemaking【要旨】 フードテックは，拡大する食料需要への対応と環境保全をしながらの食料供給と，健康意識や環境意識など多様な消費者の需要に応えるものである．新しいフードテックの事業の創出を加速化するためには解決しなければならない課題がある．本稿では，フードテックの方向性と目標，さらにフードテックビジネス創出に関す
る課題について議論する．
【キーワード】 フードテック

1.

イノベーション

ルールメイキング

capital such as land, water, and biological resources uti-

Introduction

lized for the food industry is in crisis.

Innovatively

building a sustainable food system should be vigorousFoodtech constitutes new businesses that contributely promoted to make the food supply and environmen-

to systems of meeting expanding food demand andtal protection compatible.

achieving environmental protection simultaneously.

culture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) published

It also expectedly meets diversifying demands of con-

Strategy for Sustainable Food Systems, MeaDRI in 2021

sumers such as health and environmental conscious-

to address the necessity of innovation2.

ness.

These foodtech technologies have been devel-

oping alongside biology and digital technologies.
According to forecasts, worldwide food demand in
2050 will be 1.7 times that of 2010 because of popula1

Japan’s Ministry of Agri-In addition to the necessity to meet increasing fooddemand and protect the environment, forecasts expect
food-related diseases to pressure health budget.

Ja-

pan’s government formulated Health and Medical

While food

Strategy, which states that the definition of “healthy

production must expand, the sustainability of natural

food” should be clarified scientifically, and big data istion growth and economic development .

ISSN 1349-421X© 2022IPAJ

All rights reserved.

37

〈日本知財学会誌〉 Vol.19 No.2― 2022

Healthi-“planetary boundaries” ─ extinction rate, deforesta-

ness is one of the demands that consumers have.

tion, atmospheric carbon dioxide, and flow of nitrogen

Thus, the demand for food has been getting diverseand phosphorus ─ are no longer intact7.

such as allergy-free, amusement in food, etc.

the requirement for sustainable food production has

necessary to advance healthcare services3.

New business incubation by foodtech startups is required to solve these social problems.

been increasing.

This is why

In addition, the Japanese food indus-

The Japanese

try is now facing price surge in production materials

government emphasized the year 2022 as “the second

which we rely mainly on imports because of currency

founding period,” which can produce many startups as

depreciation and rising transportation costs.

There

4

they did in the first founding period after World War 2 .

has been increasing likelihood of unsuccessful pur-In May 2022, Japan’s MAFF published Innovation

chase of crops from abroad because there are more

Strategy of Research in agriculture, forestry and fisheries

competitors.

2022, which promotes research ─ especially in suching materials that are difficult to import with domestic

areas as sustainable food systems, healthy food, carbon

resources seek to address this situation.

Waste reduction measures and replacLastly, it is5

neutrality, resource recycling, and smart agriculture .

becoming more challenging for the Japanese food in-Grand Design and Action Plan for a New Form of Capi-

dustry to find employees because the population is de-talism, a cabinet decision in June 2022, promulgatescreasing and aging.

supporting checking whether new business models

Various technological developments such as devel-

6

oping alternative protein sources, productive species,

Fostering Japanese foodtech businesses should help

and smart farming strive to meet the requirement ofwork for foodtech companies .
solve Japan’s and the world’s food and environmental

efficient and sustainable food production.

issues and activate Japanese industry.

This paper in-amples include plant-based foods, insects, gene-edited

troduces the foodtech under research and the goals

fish developed to grow from a smaller amount of feed,these technologies are to achieve.

cultured meat, and food created by the function of

It is followed bySpecific ex-

examining issues in the development of foodtech busi-

microorganisms.

nesses and the measures to be taken.

to decrease the environmental impact by introducing

2.

Foodtech under development andgoals to be achieved

At the same time, there are efforts

digital technologies to livestock or fish farming.

Ex-

amples of the measures for import substitution, decarbonization, and reduction in environmental impact are
production of feed and fertilizer by recycling foodThis chapter focuses on foodtech under develop-

waste, using insects and algae, and developing packag-

ment and related goals, such as sustainable food supply

ing suitable for long-term storage and transportation.

and healthy and rich diet.

Japanese food industry should take measures to implement these new technologies.

2.1.

As for cultured

Establishing sustainable food supply thatmeat, the authorities must make a rule about how tomeets the expanding food demand

secure food safety and label it because it is food thatgenerated by increase in world population

people did not consume previously.

In addition, it is

Estimates are that world food demand in 2050 will

necessary to achieve the way cultured meat industry

be 1.7 times as much as in 2010 ; livestock products,

and livestock farming are compatible since both aim to1

particularly, will be 1.8 times .

While we must in-meet increasing food demand.

As for smart foodcrease food production, the natural asset previously

manufacturing, artificial intelligence and robot technol-utilized to produce food is under threat.

ogies should be more customized to food manufactur-

38

Four of nineThe Goals, Issues, and Measures of Foodtech Acceleration

ing sites and verification tests to ensure human securi-

Innovators use genome editing to produce healthy

ty should be done. Regarding complicated processes

food like plants with high nutrients.

that are difficult to substitute with robots, there should“perfect meal” includes all necessary nutrients and abe more research to enlarge the scope that robots canlimited amount of fat, sugar, and protein to adequate

handle.

intakes.

As for smart farming, there should be more

Moreover, theThere is also software that analyzes the cor-site implementation of existing technologies such as

relation between a user’s diet and health record anddrones for precise distribution of pesticides and robots

offers personalized nutrition recommendations.

for weeding.

In the future, the Japanese food industry

mately, the improvement in mass spectrometry has ac-

should better promote research about insect image di-celerated the research about food nutrients and func-

agnosis, livestock management using artificial intelli-tions and resulted in the accumulation of information

gence, and smart aquaculture.

about the values of Japanese food.

Ulti-

Japan’s National Agriculture and Food Research Or2.2.

Achieving a healthy and rich diet thatganization maintains a database of food, microbiomes,

can meet various needs

and health, which relates to producing services thatHighlighting a healthy life expectancy is increasingly
important in an aging society.

recommend a personalized diet5.

Although the app

Investors are interest-

technology exists, it is hard for consumers to accept

ed in food and beverage manufacturers tackling healthwithout the ease of tracking health records via nonin-and nutrition issues.

vasive measurement instruments and obtaining recom-

Across the 52 Organization for

Economic Cooperation and Development countries, ananticipated 8.4% of health budgets will deal with theharmful effects of being overweight between 2020 and
2050.

mended meals through smart home appliances.

3.

This ratio translates into a 3.3% reduction in

Issues and measures for foodtech business incubation

GDP due to lower employment and reduced productivity8.

The foodtech business is still under development.

Japan’s Ministry of Health published The plan for ex-

Compared to other fields, foodtech startups have diffi-

tending healthy life expectancy, which states the neces-culties commercializing because of the long experi-sity of creating an environment that unconsciously

mentation time or the need to secure safety.

leads to a healthy diet.

chapter discusses the issues of foodtech commercial-

Establishing and utilizing

more evidence for achieving a healthy diet is required
for this to occur.

Thisization and the measures to take to solve them.

At the same time, consumers should

be more exposed to healthy diets.

The health food

3.1.

Financebusiness has been getting more attention as the impor-

It is difficult to commercialize foodtech because ittance of preventing rather than curing disease is thetakes time to establish the rules and obtain consumer

focus9.

acceptance.

In addition, what people value in diets has been di-Also, funding is vital from the conceptual

stage to the commercialization stage.

The EU’s

versified, such as healthiness, low environmental im-“Farm to Fork Strategy” proposes providing 10 billion

pact, cultural transmission, and amusement in cooking.

euros for research, food innovation, bioeconomics,

There is also a need to provide diets for those with re-

etc10.

strictions like swallowing difficulties and food allergies.

gram offers foodtech startup support via accelerators

Solving food access difficulties for the elderly is an im-

and funding11.

portant issue, too.

At the same time, Singapore’s “GROW” pro-According to AgFunder, investment in foodtech has
39

〈日本知財学会誌〉 Vol.19 No.2― 2022

been growing.

In 2020, the investment in Japanthranked 13 among countries, but in 2021 it was below
16

th 12

.

Japan’s MAFF supports research and businessfeasibility studies related to foodtech.

in foodtech startups and support their growth.

Exam-ples include corporate venture capital funding by Oisix
Ra Daichi, Inc.16 and Ajinomoto Co., Inc. 17 The Ag-

As the govern-

Funder SIJ Impact Fund, started in March 2022 via

ment’s system decreases the risk of private invest-

SDG Impact Japan, Inc., and AgFunder Asia Pte., Ltd.

ment in foodtech startups, Japan Finance Corporation

They announced the first close, receiving investment

invests in the investors who invest in food businesses.

from Meiji Holdings and Asahi Group Holdings, a confectionery company, and a beverage company, respec-

3.2.

Open innovation

tively18.

Accelerating foodtech innovation requires identifying partners who can commercialize, produce on alarge scale, and find a place to sell.

3.3.

Strategic rulemaking

It is hard for start-

Sometimes a new rule is required when a novel foodups to find a retailer to sell their products and makeforms from new technologies and there is a safety

them known to consumers.

concern.

So, it is beneficial to col-If there is a rule delay and the startup’s

laborate with retailers to develop and sell products.

product launch is unclear, this damages startup predict-For example, Gryllus, a Japanese startup which pro-ability and investor credibility.

duces and sells edible crickets, collaborated with Ryo-organize the business environment of startups by mak-hin Keikaku, the retailor with the MUJI brand, to selling a rule.

cricket crackers in 2020.

Thus, it is essential to

The CEO of Gryllus, Inc.,

Whether legislation by the government is necessary

Mr. Watanabe, said there was a complete difference inor new guidance under existing regulations is sufficientconsumers’ reaction between selling by an unknown

depends on how much safety risk a new product has.

13

startup and selling by Ryohin Keikaku .

In 2022,For example, it is necessary to examine cultured

Gryllus, Inc. started selling its products at FamilyMart,

meat’s safety and determine new rules to ensure pro-a convenience store in Tokyo.

tection because consumption of this product is novel.

It is also effective to work with chefs to develop atasty product.

Green Culture, Inc., a plant-based

Because people currently eat insects in some regionsin the world, there is no discussion of new safety legis-

startup, offers products at the Hotel Century Southernlation for this item in Japan at present.

Tower restaurant.

Fuji Oil Co. presented its plant-

working team of the Private-Public Council of Food-based food strategy at a tasting event to expand its

tech settled the guidelines for cricket producers in Julysales at the prestigious New Otani Co. hotel.

202219.

SakanaFarm, Inc., a land aquaculture startup, collaborates

The insect

New legislation for securing plant-based food safetywith chefs to find a way to grow fish of the quality theyis also not discussed in Japan since plant-based fooddemand.

consumption is widespread.

As for facilities by big companies, Fukushima Galilei
Co., Ltd., installed MILAB, a food innovation platform

In 2021, Japan’s Con-

sumer Affairs Agency published a Q&A for labelingplant-based food20.

In 2022, MAFF established thethat offers facilities in real food factories for research

Japanese Agricultural Standard of soy meat and dis-and experimental making 14 .

cussed its internationalization21.

Juchheim Co., Ltd.

Plant-based foods-

started a foodtech innovation center that allows mem-Terms and definitions was proposed and addressed at an

ber companies to use facilities and undertake B2BInternational Organization for Standardization Techni-

15sales of startups’ products .
Increasingly, food manufacturers and retailers invest
40

cal Committee meeting22.

Japanese experts joined

the discussion based on the opinions of Japanese man-

The Goals, Issues, and Measures of Foodtech Acceleration

ufacturers of plant-based food.

As for setting up

To increase the sales of never-before consumed

rules, international harmonization is necessary be-

food, they must be exposed to consumers more to be-cause the application of different regulations according

come known.

Further, the social impact of these new

to countries increases the cost of selling products

foods, which is the current food system’s problem

abroad.

must be addressed more.

As stated in 3.2, collabora-tion with retailers and restaurants is essential.
3.4.

Be-

Establishing consumers’understanding

cause the food system problem is long-term, consum-

It is difficult for people to accept food they have nev-

ers are not likely to have a sense of crisis and do noter consumed.

In a 2020 survey of Japanese in theiroften change their purchase behavior.

Currently,

20s to 40s, more than half (55.6%) wanted to eat plant-measures are emerging, such as introducing incentives

based food. However, the proportion of those who didthat can change consumer purchase behaviors.

not want to eat insects (45%) was larger than that ofexample, Aya Town, Miyazaki prefecture Japan has anthose who did (30%).

As for cultured meat, genome-

app to offer points for individual behaviors such as pur-edited food, food with sufficient nutrition, and fish fromchasing healthy food and local food and reducing foodland aquaculture, those who neither wanted to eat nor

loss27.

refuse it accounted for the largest part23.
A survey by Japan’s Cellular Agriculture Institute of

4.

For

Conclusion

the Commons reveals that the most worrying concern
regarding cultured meat is safety24.

Thus, measures

Foodtech businesses vigorously aim at achievingthat promote safety, appropriate labeling, consumer

sustainable food supply that meets expanding food de-disclosures, and communication are crucial to credibili-

mand and realizing healthy and rich diet that can meetty and acceptance as discussed in 3.3.

various needs.

So it is strongly expected that the

As for genome-editing technologies, Japan’s MAFF

measures to solve issues of foodtech commercializa-

does outreach activities, where experts provide scien-tion are taken, such as financing foodtech startups,

tific expertise, explain the rule, and communicate with

open innovation, strategic rulemaking and establishingconsumers25.

consumers’ understanding that are discussed in thisRegional Fish Institute, Ltd.is solidify-

ing its credibility via labeling and traceability so that

paper.

the products are delivered only to consumers who
Disclaimer

want genome-edited goods.
Takei and Iijima (2019) argue that targeting onlyThis paper expresses the author’s opinion and does

those willing to eat insects is effective for insect

not reflect the opinions of the organization the author

producers.

belongs to.

They segmented university students byfood tastes and investigated which segment was most
likely to accept insects.

Specifically, the researchers

segmented 972 students into “conservative,” “costconscious,” “health-conscious,” and “curiosity-conscious.” “Health-conscious” and “curiosity-conscious”
were not much influenced by price and can be the potential target of insect food.

“Health-conscious” wasmore likely to react to terms like “organic” and “natural
food.”26

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