Seasoning maker Mizkan Holdings Co. will release a new food brand, "Zenb" (zenbu in Japanes means "entire" or "all"), featuring environmentally friendly products that, as much as possible, are made from whole pieces of produce, it announced on Thursday.
The company will release two types of products on March 5, and plans to expand the brand with more products and ingredients in the future.
The new products are the organic food bar "Zemb Stick," which comes in four flavors, and "Zenb Paste," in five flavors. They are made from whole parts of vegetables -- including corncob, the pods of edamame soybeans and the skins of beets -- to make full use of their nutritional content and reduce waste. The company uses its own exclusive technology to enhance the taste of peels and stems.
The food bars are eaten as is, while the paste product requires extra steps such as being mixed with dressing or soup. Senior corporate officer Koji Ishigaki, the head of product development, said, "We're now able to make good use of food materials that had been thrown away before, and to create food that is healthy and eco-friendly."
Mizkan used crowd-funding -- raising money through individual contributions on the internet -- to help fund development of the product. It raised about 3,400,000 yen this way, exceeding its 500,000 yen target. According to Mizkan, it incorporated the opinions of consumers who are keen to promote environmental issues.
Mizkan started to sell the new products on Friday at the Mizkan Museum in Handa, Aichi Prefecture, ahead of their full release. It will begin selling them on an exclusive website on March 5. A 100-gram paste product will cost 1,620, yen and a pack containing 16 organic food bars will go for 5,184 yen on the website.
Mizkan announced its "Zenb initiative" last autumn, in which it aims to reduce stress on the natural environment and create a sustainable society.
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