Issues Concerning Healthy Living Current Issues Affecting Healthy Living Nutrition issues affect much of the world's population Facts about nutrition

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1 Healthy Living Many people of the world are suffering from nutrition-related problems including chronic hunger and obesity. Furthermore, with the aging of many of the world's societies, policies are needed to promote healthy lifestyles for the elderly. Making the most of its technologies related to amino acids, the Ajinomoto Group is working to help reduce levels of hunger and prevent chronic diseases that result from obesity. In the field of healthcare, the group is promoting preventative medicine with an original diagnostic technology based on amino acids. To help people enjoy healthy lifestyles as they grow older, the Ajinomoto Group is offering ways to improve dietary habits by putting the beneficial functions of umami to work. 43

2 Issues Concerning Healthy Living Current Issues Affecting Healthy Living Nutrition issues affect much of the world's population Facts about nutrition About 1 billion people in the world lack the food resources to ensure the minimum amount of energy required daily. About 1.5 billion of the world's adults are overweight, with a BMI of 25 or over. Of that number, 500 million are categorized as obese, with a BMI of 30 or over. Excessive intake of nutrition raises the risk of lifestyle diseases. Contributing to Healthy Living through Nutrition Approximately 1 billion of the world's 7 billion people lack the food resources to ensure the minimum amount of energy required daily. Furthermore, approximately 2 billion people are suffering from serious health problems resulting from micronutrient deficiencies, meaning a lack of vitamins and minerals. In contrast, some 1.5 billion people in world are overweight, defined as a body mass index (BMI) 5 of 25 and above; about 500 million of that category are obese, with a BMI of 30 or more. Being overweight raises the risk of lifestyle diseases, and being obese increases the possibility of developing life-threatening health complications such as stroke, heart disease, and diabetes. 3. OECD FAO Agricultural Outlook , published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and FAO 4. Fact Sheet No. 311, published by WHO 5. Body mass index (BMI) is an indicator of a person's level of body fat, calculated as body mass in kilograms divided by the square of his or her height in meters. The normal score is

3 The aging population is forecast to reach 1.5 billion in 2050 The proportion of elderly people aged 65 and older is expected to grow rapidly worldwide in developed countries and developing countries as a result of improved nutrition intake and advances in medicine. If the current rate of aging population growth continues unchanged, the numbers of those chronically ill and bedridden will increase considerably, requiring greater expenses and energy used for medical treatment and care giving. This will necessitate social systems reforms and changes in cultural norms, beginning with dietary habits, so that people can lead healthy, active, and independent lives well into their golden years. Facts about the aging population The aging of the population is expected to continue in developed countries and developing countries. The number of elderly people worldwide aged 65 and older is forecast to reach 1.5 billion in 2050, making up 16% of the population. The elderly aspire to lead healthy and independent lives. Responding to the Aging of Society 6. World Population Prospects, the 2010 Revision, published by the United Nations 45

4 Contributing to Healthy Living through Nutrition Approach and Initiatives for Healthy Living through Nutrition Excessive nutritional intake is not limited to economically advanced countries: it is also becoming a serious social problem in emerging countries that have been rapidly developing in recent years. Unfortunately, the usage of sugar, salt, and fats to enhance food flavor, food texture and eating satisfaction is generally regarded as more appealing than using ingredients designed to reduce those items for the purpose of curbing excessive nutritional intake. In this context, the Ajinomoto Group is developing ingredients that promote good health without sacrificing flavor as it carries out product development in accordance with the characteristics of each region of the world. In this way, the group is striving to help solve the global problem of excessive nutritional intake and prevent the chronic diseases that can develop because of it. Through cooking techniques and seasoning, various food ingredients can have new uses for making delicious meals. Accordingly, the Ajinomoto Group is applying its technological expertise in the area of flavor to develop new seasoning ingredients in order to provide affordable products that have excellent nutritional balance. Promoting new ways of eating can help eradicate undernourishment in emerging countries. The Ajinomoto Group is developing products toward this end, with the desire to contribute to achieving positive results by working together with civil society to solve social problems in emerging countries. Initiative 1: Joint research on MSG benefits for tackling obesity Ajinomoto Co., Inc. and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture have undertaken a joint research project to examine whether the regular inclusion in the diet of monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is used to enhance the taste of foods, has beneficial effects on eating habits and body-weight management. The joint research study, commenced in October 2010 and conducted with ARS's Western Human Nutrition Research Center (WHNRC), is monitoring overweight and obese women to determine whether the addition of sodium glutamate to their food facilitates the control of appetite and caloric intake, and acts against body weight regain following a period of moderate dieting and weight loss. Using fmri equipment to analyze the brain The research project is being carried out in response to a growing consensus over the importance of new food and nutrition initiatives to combat obesity, one of the most serious health problems in the United States, without the use of medication or surgical methods. Research conducted by Ajinomoto Co., Inc. has demonstrated that MSG improves the savory quality of foods and enhances the pleasure and satisfaction of eating. Furthermore, the regular inclusion of MSG or foods naturally rich in glutamate in the diet appears to improve overall diet quality and inhibit calorie intake without sacrificing eating satisfaction. These findings have raised expectations for the potential of umami, the natural source of MSG and an essential ingredient in a healthy Japanese diet. Having followed these findings, WHNRC has teamed up with Ajinomoto Co., Inc. to pursue this field of research. For the joint project, the center is analyzing the effects of ingesting MSG on satiety and appetite control by scanning brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fmri) equipment at the Davis campus of the University of California, where the center is based. Looking forward, Ajinomoto Co., Inc. intends to continue carrying out pioneering research activities with the aim to contribute to human nutrition and health. 46

5 Spotlight: The School Tour of Education on Eating Ajinomoto Co., Inc. organizes the School Tour of Education on Eating as an educational activity that provides opportunities for school children to become more interested in food and learn more about Japanese cuisine, the traditional uses of the soup stock dashi in Japan, and the excellence of umami. The tour involves visits to elementary schools by company employees who, acting as instructors, give lessons that allow students to have fun while learning about the secrets of flavor, the sense of taste and the importance of dashi and umami in Japanese food culture. Children tried making dried bonito shavings using special equipment The tour began in fiscal 2006, and in fiscal 2010, more than 300 classes were conducted. About 800 employees and executives have registered as instructors for the program. Commenting on the classes, a fourth-grader exclaimed, "I though it was great how adding dashi to miso soup made it taste better," and a sixth-grade student said, "I was surprised that umami was discovered by the Japanese." For employees involved in the program, contributing to food education in Japan as teachers has given them a new source of confidence and pride in the company's activities. Ajinomoto Co., Inc. plans to continue the School Tour of Education on Eating to enable even more school children to discover the wonders of dashi and umami. Spotlight: The dashi cafe, a place where people can experience the great taste of dashi Recognizing that the number of young people in Japan unaware of the traditional soup stock dashi is growing at an alarming rate, Ajinomoto Co., Inc. opened the dashi cafe, where people could learn about the fundamental essence of Japanese cuisine. Visitors can enjoy free demonstrations on making ichiban-dashi, the most delicate and fragrant dashi, as well as taste a simple soup called osuimono made by adding salt and soy sauce. They could also learn how to use dashi remains in cooking. The opening ceremony for the dashi cafe In its first six months, the cafe attracted over 20,000 visitors. Positive comments included gratitude for discovering how to reduce the use of salt though dashi, and the pleasure of cooking with it. All of the staff are overjoyed with the cafe's reception, and are enthusiastically planning a host of new activities for showing the benefits of dashi. A cooking class held once every month at the dashi cafe 47

6 Initiative 2: Producing low-fat frozen foods through high-temperature steam cooking method Ajinomoto Frozen Foods Co., Inc. (FFA) conducted a consumer survey to determine which of family members most often received boxed lunches prepared by housewives. Results showed that most lunches were made for husbands, followed by children attending junior high and high schools. Furthermore, about 60% of housewives preparing lunches for junior high and high school students used frozen foods in the lunches, while fewer than 40% used frozen foods to make lunches for husbands. The main reasons that housewives gave for not using frozen foods were that such products are generally high in calories and oily after frying. A package of Agezuni Sakuttosan, frozen whitefish prepared using high-temperature steam In response, the company made use of its original high-temperature steam cooking method to develop Agezuni Sakuttosan, a range of low-calorie frozen food products that are not fried in oil. After releasing it to the market, customers rated it highly and a growing number of housewives are using it for boxed lunches, especially for their husbands. FFA looks forward to releasing more delicious and healthy products prepared with this original method to promote more enjoyable and health-conscious eating habits. A Japanese boxed lunch Initiative 3: Improving nutrition in developing countries through the AIN program As a group of companies that contributes to global health, the Ajinomoto Group considers the improvement of nutrition in developing countries to be an important mission. On this basis, it launched the Ajinomoto International Cooperation Network for Nutrition and Health (AIN) program in 1999, the 90th anniversary of the company's founding. The AIN program solicits project applications from NGOs and NPOs based in countries around the world, and then determines which projects to give development assistance based on investigations by experts and onsite observations by the Ajinomoto Group's employees. After a project commences, an Ajinomoto Group company in the same country provides various kinds of local support, including education on nutrition, with the aim to raise the level of the project's activities. Through the AIN program, the Ajinomoto Group intends to work in unison with its stakeholders to help improve the health and vitality of people around the world in the future. History of development assistance under the AIN program from December 1999 to April 2011 Number of projects: 53 in 12 countries (India, Indonesia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Brazil, and Peru) Total amount of development assistance provided: 180 million yen Number of people benefiting from development assistance projects: Approximately 80,000 48

7 Examples of projects supported by the AIN program 1. School Lunch Project Using Vegetables Grown in School Gardens in Brazil For two years from April 2009 to March 2011, the AIN program provided assistance to the School Lunch Project Using Vegetables Grown in School Gardens, a project run by the organization, Associação Crianças de LUZ, in cooperation with a local university. The project worked to fight malnutrition among children living in poor fishing villages in the northeastern part of Brazil. The activities of the project included providing mothers with workshops on nutrition improvement and cooking classes, as well as growing vegetable gardens together with children. They gained a stronger interest in local foods, and vegetable consumption by the children increased. A workshop on improving nutrition Local residents participate in a cooking class The university created a cooking manual for the mothers at the end of the project, with recipes provided by Ajinomoto do Brasil Ind. e Com. de Alimentos Ltda. The manual will be used for similar projects in other regions of the country. 2. Agriculture for School Lunch Project in Thailand For one year from April 2010 to March 2011, the AIN program provided assistance to the Agriculture for School Lunch Project, which is carried out by the NGO, Education for Development Foundation. Through the project, children learned how to grow food at their schools to provide ingredients for school lunches. Under the guidance of specialists in the community, students took up the challenge of growing vegetables School lunches being served Students learn how to raise chickens and raising fish and chickens. Five schools participating in the project held exchanges and gave school tours to share their experiences and knowledge. Furthermore, the students gained a greater understanding of food and nutrition as a result of regular classes on nutrition. The project was completed after one year, and was successful in fostering student leaders and encouraging participation in the community through nutrition education. On the recommendation of Ajinomoto Co., (Thailand) Ltd., the Ajinomoto Group decided to provide assistance to this project again for two years beginning from April Projects supported under the AIN program in fiscal 2010 (Projects marked with were were completed during fiscal 2010) Project name Implementing organization Country Period of support from the Ajinomoto Group Creating a System for Sustainable School Lunch A Model for Local People's Participation and Cooperation Japan Bangladesh Cultural Exchange Association Bangladesh ( ) Shokuiku (Food and Nutrition Education) Program for Improvement of Nutritional Status of Mothers and Infants in Poor Rural Areas Hunger Free World, a specialized non-profit organization Bangladesh 3 years ( ) 49

8 Project name Implementing organization Country Period of support from the Ajinomoto Group Development of Educational Materials on Clean Water, Nutrition, and Health with Participation of Community Residents in The Japan Asian Association & Asian Friendship Society Bangladesh ( ) Bangladesh Agriculture for School Lunch Project The Education for Development Foundation, an NGO in Thailand Thailand 1 year (2010) Food Education through School Lunches and Organic Vegetable Gardens LOOB JAPAN Philippines ( ) Nutrition Improvement Project through Construction of a Nutrition Education/Meal Service Center and Development of PH-Japan, a specialized non-profit organization Indonesia ( ) Vegetable Gardens Utilization of Home Gardens and Model Construction of Nutrition Care for the Elderly in Rural Vietnam Thaibinh Medical University Vietnam 3 years ( ) Improvement of Child Nutrition in Mountains Areas of Vietnam Promotion of Exclusive Breastfeeding Save the Children Japan Vietnam ( ) Program to Empower Indigenous Orang Asli Women with Health and Nutrition Knowledge to Improve the Health and Universiti Putra Malaysia, a local university Malaysia ( ) Nutrition of Young Children School Lunch Project Using Vegetables Grown in School Gardens Associação Crianças de LUZ Brazil ( ) Project for Network Development and Community Empowerment for Promotion of Good Practices in Nutrition AMDA-MINDS, a specialized non-governmental organization Peru 3 years ( ) Click here for more information on the AIN program The Corporate Citizenship Forum on Nutrition and Health On October 30, 2010, Ajinomoto Co., Inc. held the Corporate Citizenship Forum on Nutrition and Health at the Ajinomoto Group Takanawa Training Center in Tokyo. At the event, speakers presented the latest information on nutrition-related issues around the world, people directly involved in development support projects gave reports on project activities, and attendants took opportunities to engage in discussions. About 150 people attended in total, including students, company representatives, and The venue for the forum experts on nutrition. Some remarked that they had gained a new interest in international cooperative activities by private companies, while others expressed a desire to study global issues related to nutrition and health. 50

9 Initiative 4: The Ghana Nutrition Improvement Project The Ajinomoto Group initiated the Ghana Nutrition Improvement Project as one of its initiatives to commemorate the 100th anniversary of its founding. The project is attempting to set up a social business designed to solve serious social problems in developing countries, such as malnutrition, through sustainable business activities. By developing the project as a business that works to improve nutrition for children in impoverished areas, the Ajinomoto Group hopes to contribute to achieving the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals. 1 In Ghana, the traditional meal for infants in their weaning period is a porridge made with fermented corn, called koko. This food is deficient in energy, protein and micronutrients, however, making it one of the major causes for stunted growth among children in the country. To remedy this situation, the Ajinomoto Group is applying its technologies and knowledge to develop food products that can help improve children's nutrition. Mothers and children wait at a clinic to receive a check-up Koko, a traditional porridge in Ghana The Ghana Nutrition Improvement Project began in fiscal 2009 through collaboration between Ajinomoto Co., Inc., the University of Ghana, and the Nevin Scrimshaw International Nutrition Foundation. Since then, various organizations have become involved. In April 2010, Royal DSM N.V., a Holland-based life science company with extensive experience in nutrition improvement activities, joined the project to help develop products using the concept of "open innovation." In November of the same year, the project made agreements with two international NGOs, CARE International Japan and Plan Japan, to collaborate in assessing prototype products and marketing. In the following month, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) selected the project for inclusion in its "Preparatory Survey for Base of the Pyramid (BOP) Business Promotion" program. Project Timetable Fiscal Developed nutrient-fortified food for weaning children, and completed prototype products Carried out market surveys Conducted surveys of consumers Fiscal Research to determine the effectiveness of prototype products Begin trial sales in selected areas Plan full-scale production of products Fiscal 2013 Implement full-scale sales and marketing activities Examine feasibility of expansion to other West African countries such as Nigeria In April 2011, the Ghana Nutrition Improvement Project concluded a memorandum of understanding with the Ghana Health Service to cooperate in assessing the benefits of prototype products, providing education on nutrition, and other activities. The agreement is a testament to the project's value in addressing infant malnutrition. Moving forward, the project is striving to establish a social business model in which local production is set up from an early stage and products are delivered to the impoverished in the area. From there, the project will consider how to extend this model in Ghana to other developing countries. Tamotsu Iwamoto (left), Member of the Board and Corporate Vice President of Ajinomoto Co., Inc. with an official from the Ghana Health Service, marking the memorandum of understanding 51

10 1. The United Nations' Millennium Development Goals comprise eight goals aimed at solving problems related to poverty in developing countries, with the overall goal to reduce global poverty by half by 2015, through cooperation among relevant organizations including national governments and the United Nations itself. Based on international development targets, the goals were officially established with the United Nations Millennium Declaration, signed by 189 countries including Japan, along with deadlines for achieving targets and indicators to measure progress. Click here for more information about the Ghana Nutrition Improvement Project [ :3.4MB] Click here for more information about CARE International Japan Click here for more information about Plan Japan Initiative 5: AminoIndex promotes amino acid diagnostic technologies for better health care On April 1, 2011, Ajinomoto Co., Inc. launched the AminoIndex diagnostic service, which applies technologies developed in-house. The service checks health conditions and the possibility of contracting disease by measuring the concentration of amino acids in the blood. Working with SRL, Inc., a company that conducts clinical laboratory tests, AminoIndex is starting out in the field of preventive medicine, initially offering tests to screen for cancer risks. From there it will expand activities with a focus on providing medical check-ups. Taking an entirely new approach to the health check, AminoIndex enables simple and easy cancer screening with a single collection of blood. At present, five types of cancer can be screened: lung, stomach, colon, breast (for women) and prostate (for men). Research and development is proceeding with the aim to raise the number of new items for clinical testing, including gynecologic cancer and metabolic syndrome. In the future, the service expects to play a part in a medical exam system that never misses a sign of disease. Through this diagnostic service, Ajinomoto Co., Inc. is offering people opportunities to check their health using new technologies that apply amino acids. Moving forward, the company intends to provide ways to maintain health and advance medical care via nutrition, beginning with the early detection and treatment of cancer, metabolic syndrome, and other ailments. Ajinomoto Co., Inc. also hopes that this service will help curb rising costs for healthcare. 52

11 Responding to the Aging of Society Approach and Initiatives Responding to the Aging of Society With the rapid aging of Japanese society, the proportion of people aged 65 or older is expected to total approximately one-third of the population in The number of people aged 75 or older is especially increasing, raising expectations that a growing group of elderly citizens will require caregiving and support services. As a result, there is concern that the aging of society will overwhelm medical and nursing facilities, put strain on the economy, and lead to other serious social problems. Recognizing that a wide range of measures will be needed to deal with these issues, the Ajinomoto Group is emphasizing the importance of leading active and healthy lives regardless of age. The need to increase the number of fit and active elderly people who can live independently without nursing care is a major premise for overcoming the social problems that are such a cause of concern and realizing a society where people live long and healthy lives. There are several main reasons why health conditions deteriorate with aging. One is that appetite declines as the body ages, resulting in insufficient intake of nutrients such as protein and amino acids. A second reason is that various kinds of nutritional components needed by the body are not produced in sufficient amounts. The Ajinomoto Group is considering how it can help increase elderly people's appetites and nutrition through proper eating habits and nutritious food products. Toward this end, the group is carrying out and bolstering a wide range of research and development projects. Initiative 1: Maximizing Umami Functions to Stimulate Appetite and Improve Nutritional Intake To respond to the decline in appetite associated with aging and the insufficient nutritional intake that results, the Ajinomoto Group is conducting research with two objectives: stimulating appetite, and designing products that combine essential nutrients in a single serving. 1. Stimulating appetite Appetite gradually decreases as functions related to a person's oral cavity and digestive system weaken with aging. Nevertheless, glutamate, a component of umami found in food, stimulates appetite by helping improve oral cavity and digestive health in various ways. As a result, it contributes to the nutritional intake and enjoyment of eating among the elderly. As an example, protein digestion is not easy for people with a weakened digestive system; however, glutamate helps it to secrete digestive enzymes that increase the ability to absorb protein. Taking these findings into account, the Ajinomoto Group is actively pursuing research to determine whether advanced applications of the components of umami can increase digestive functions, stimulate appetite, and improve nutritional intake for the elderly. 2. Designing products that combine essential nutrients in a single serving Medical-use food has traditionally been made with an emphasis on providing essential nutrients, and as a result, it generally lacks the flavor so important for food products. Therefore, Ajinomoto Co., Inc. released its Medimeal series of delicious and nutritional care food products in 2009 that offer essential nutrients in a single serving. The company applied its original technologies to improve the taste of the products in the series, which are available as soup, jelly, pudding, and other formats. In the first year after its release, Medimeal has been highly commended by countless customers. Nutritional care food products in the Medimeal series 53

12 Initiative 2: Responding to Health Issues of the Elderly The amount of essential components that are metabolized in the body decreases with aging. In response, the Ajinomoto Group has been steadily developing a full range of fundamental health care products over several years, which are available through Internet sales and telesales. The products were designed by applying research results in a wide range of areas relating to health. They are attracting a growing number of customers, particularly among women in the age bracket. Capsiate Natura helps improve calorie Recognizing its role to make greater contributions to the health of the burn elderly, the Ajinomoto Group intends to continue promoting research and development to create beneficial products. Technologies and expertise are being enhanced for operations in Japan to prepare for global problems related to the aging of society that are certain to arise in the near future. 54