This series discusses the present and future of washoku traditional cuisine. In this installment, we explore Japanese food in connection with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
The weather in Japan is hot and humid from July to September, the period in which the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will be held in 2020. Ensuring food safety through measures against food poisoning and other problems is a big challenge.
It was decided this year that food-related businesses will be required to adopt the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, or HACCP (see below), a set of international standards for food hygiene management. Affected companies will be urged to begin implementation ahead of the Games, though the initiative has yet to fully take root.
In December 2017, an outlet of Ootoya, a restaurant chain that specializes in Japanese set meals, obtained certification from the metropolitan government after implementing food safety and hygiene measures based on HACCP. The Mitaka-Minamiguchi outlet in Mitaka, Tokyo, displays a certificate with three stars issued under the Tokyo Food Hygiene Meister system, the metropolitan government's food safety certification system.
Ahead of the 2020 Games, chain operator Ootoya Holdings Co. plans to obtain certification for its nearly 200 stores in Tokyo, with the Mitaka-Minamiguchi store near the company's head office as the starting point.
"Awareness of food safety and hygiene differs among countries and cultures," said Tomonori Takada, corporate officer at Ootoya. "We hope to promote the certification as an indication of safety to foreign tourists visiting from various countries for the Olympics."
Although the operator had previously worked to ensure proper hygiene, it has compiled a written manual under which workers are urged to strictly follow a set of rules, such as changing aprons when moving from the meal preparation space to an area where dishes are washed, or vice versa.
Various countries around the world are requiring implementation of HACCP standards, with the organizing committee of the 2020 Games also calling for suppliers to comply with the system.
According to a survey conducted by the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry in fiscal 2017, 98 percent of major food makers with sales of at least 10 billion yen have adopted the HACCP standards, while the overall ratio decreased to 28 percent when including small and medium-sized firms.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, which enforces the Food Sanitation Law, is promoting HACCP among smaller companies by working with industry organizations to create guidelines on implementing the system, among other measures.
Many local governments, such as the Tokyo metropolitan government and the Hokkaido prefectural government, are also taking steps to promote HACCP by establishing their own certification schemes.
"Japan will be regarded as a country complacent about food safety unless it introduces a risk management system that meets international standards," said Shizunobu Igimi, a professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture and an expert on food safety and hygiene control. "The Tokyo Olympics has given [Japanese food outlets] an opportunity to change their awareness toward providing both delicious and safe food."
Reducing food waste and loss is another big issue for the upcoming Games. The Basic Strategy for Food and Beverage Services, which was compiled by the organizing committee, calls for consideration of the amount of food that can be consumed when deciding meal portions and the size of plates and other tableware, while also encouraging use of information and communications technology to estimate the number of meals to be served.
The strategy also urges maximum use of reusable tableware while considering hygiene and ways to reduce the burden on athletes.
With less than two years remaining before the 2020 Games, efforts concerning food and related issues should be accelerated.
-- HACCP
A system utilized during the food manufacturing process to analyze potential health hazards, such as bacteria and product tampering. It is also used to devise food safety measures and keep records. The revised Food Sanitation Law promulgated in June requires all businesses dealing with food, such as manufacturers and restaurants, to introduce the system. The revised law will come into effect within two years of its promulgation.
Sports nutrition recipe: Garlic-flavored daikon with pork
Kanoya Athlete Restaurant, based in Tokyo, shared a sports nutrition recipe that can be easily cooked at home.
The recipe includes pork, which has a high vitamin B1 content that helps with recovery from fatigue, as well as garlic and hot pepper that stimulate the appetite.
Ingredient (serves 1; 188 kcal):
60 grams thinly sliced pork
20 grams unpeeled daikon radish
Small amount of ground garlic
1 tsp mirin
1 tsp soy sauce
Pinch of chopped hot pepper
Pinch of salt
Directions:
1. Cut the daikon into thin round slices without peeling. Lightly stir-fry the pork, add the daikon slices and stir-fry together.
2. When the daikon softens, add garlic, the seasonings and hot pepper, and mix. Season with salt as a finishing touch.
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