Marine Products From Japan
Japanese marine-source market well developed.
By Ron Bailey
Most visitors to Japan who are able to tour the fish markets and visit the fish sections of the large supermarkets are very much impressed by the incredible variety of marine-sourced foods that are routinely available in Japan. Marine-sourced foods are a significant portion of the daily diet in Japan in comparison with the U.S., with an annual average consumption of approximately 80 pounds per person in Japan according to the National Institute of Health and Nutrition, compared with only about 15 pounds per person in the U.S. Until quite recently, the consumption of red meat was limited in Japan, primarily because of the extremely high import tariffs, which resulted in very high retail prices, particularly for beef. As a result, marine products in Japan had been much more competitive in price and purchase decisions are therefore made much less on price than in the U.S.
The traditional diet in Japan included some type of fresh or processed fish or seafood at nearly every meal, including breakfast, although not usually in large portions. Processed fish paste (“kamaboko”) is popular in many foods in Japan, including soups, although sales volume has been declining for some time as younger consumers show a preference for tastier alternatives. Sushi and sashimi (raw fish without the sushi rice) are very popular in Japan for lunch and dinner. Take-out sushi has been described in Japan as “the original fast food” when purchased from a street-side shop or a take-out counter near a train station. Most of the sushi is still prepared fresh at the selling location and a labeled shelf-life of only four or five hours under refrigeration is very common for packaged sushi sold in Tokyo area shops.
In addition, the Japanese also are major consumers of plant marine-sourced food ingredients such as many different types of seaweeds, although those ingredients are beyond the scope of this summary.
Popular Marine-Sourced Nutraceutical Ingredients in Japan
Given the importance of marine-sourced foods in the Japanese diet, it is not surprising that there has been considerable scientific research in Japan on the potential health benefits of these food ingredients. Fish oil fatty acids such as EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) have been actively studied since the early epidemiological research was reported on potential cardiovascular benefits from the consumption of marine foods. High oil content sardines have been of particular interest as the starting material for producing concentrated (30% EPA in triglyceride form) fish oils in Japan, since they are readily available.
It is generally agreed that the primary measurable effects of the consumption of EPA from fish oil are the reduction of triglycerides in blood and reduced blood platelet aggregation. The recently reported preliminary research findings on the benefits of fish and fish oil consumption on bipolar disorder (depression) and prevention of second heart attacks are not yet generally known by consumers in Japan, but it is only a matter of time before the research results are widely recognized there as well.
The recent commercial focus in Japan has been on DHA from fish oil, which is generally believed to be essential for the development of proper brain function. It is further believed in Japan that consumption of DHA may increase (or at least maintain) IQ and many of the foods containing DHA readily available in Japan are positioned for infants and children. The richest known commercial source of DHA happens to be tuna eyeball socket oil and this is the starting material of choice in the concentration process in most instances.
Other food and dietary supplement ingredients from marine sources popular in Japan include natural taurine amino acid for infant formulations, chondroitin from shark combined with glucosamine from crab shells for relief of joint pain and treatment of arthritis, small dried fish as a snack source of calcium (often sold with slivered almonds in the same package), astaxanthin carotenoid from crab shells and recently from algae for both fish feeding and human consumption and such limited use ingredients as protamine as a natural preservative from salmon milt.
At the recent Health Ingredients Japan ‘99 show held in September in Tokyo, for example, several companies were exhibiting ingredients and/or products formulated with marine-sourced materials. This list included green-lipped mussels from New Zealand, shark liver oil, harp seal oil, chondroitin sulfate, chitin/chitosan, glucosamine, beta-carotene from algae, dried bonito peptide, natural taurine, coral calcium and of course DHA and EPA. Clearly there is a consumer interest in marine-sourced ingredients for health in Japan and the general market growth trends are positive just as they are in the U.S.
FOSHU (Foods for Specified Health Use) Marine-Sourced Products
Of the 154 approved FOSHU products as of the end of September, five included non-plant marine-sourced “active” ingredients and another three incorporated low molecular weight sodium alginate. Of the five, chitosan processed from chitin extracted from crab shells is approved for use in two biscuit products with claims to “inhibit absorption of cholesterol.” The other three include two soups with dried bonito (“katsuobushi”) peptide active and a soft drink with a new “sardine peptide”; all three are positioned as “suitable for people with mild hypertension.”
It is interesting to note that there have been no products approved with the EPA/DHA fish oil fatty acid active ingredients, even though some of the early FOSHU prototypes ten years ago were prepared using fish oils rich in these fatty acids. Prescription drug products have been developed and marketed in Japan for several years with highly concentrated (up to 90% EPA) esterified fish oils, further enhancing the credibility of EPA as an effective active ingredient. It is generally agreed in Japan, however, that the problem with product approval is not related to the usual food safety and efficacy concerns, but rather with the difficulty in analyzing the presence of the two fatty acids in a finished food product in a quantitative manner. This may change in the future as research findings on EPA and DHA continue to show positive results and the incentive for the development of FOSHU foods with new claimable benefits increases. Many food products are being sold currently with EPA and/or DHA levels indicated on the labels, however, although not in the more demanding FOSHU category.
Issues To Consider For The Future
One of the primary concerns in Japan about the future of non-plant marine-sourced ingredients relates to the sustainability of the supply. Available supplies of marine-sourced foods are being consumed on a global basis at an increasing rate. As a result, the dependence on “farmed” sources of marine-sourced foods is increasing, from locations around the globe. This dependence on farmed marine-sourced foods and food ingredients has in turn raised issues of food safety related to the fish farming conditions, which has provided an incentive for reducing the levels of synthetic additives in the fish feed. This is an area of considerable activity in Japan presently.
As new health benefits information from the consumption of marine-sourced foods is reported, the interest in consuming these types of foods will increase. Japan and the rest of the world must therefore make certain that the long term availability of safe and wholesome marine-sourced foods and food ingredients can be maintained. The mandated HACCP (Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points) quality control systems in place in the U.S. (and increasingly in Japan) are a step in the right direction in this regard, with enhanced consumer credibility for the products as a result.
NW
