On September 4, Kewpie released seven new products from the “Yasashii Kondate” series of commercial nursing care foods, under the Universal Design Food category of “No Need to Chew.” The lineup includes both Japanese and Western dishes.
Products in this category are formulated in paste or jelly form, making them easy to swallow as they are. In recent years, with the increase in “business carers” who balance work and caregiving, there has been rising expectation for products that can reduce cooking time and effort and help ease the burden of care.
The newly introduced items are: “Smooth Buri Daikon,” “Smooth Beef Sukiyaki,” “Smooth Simmered Hamburg Steak Style,” “Smooth Seafood Gratin,” “Smooth Agedashi Eggplant,” “Smooth Sweet Potato and Kuri Kinton,” and “Smooth Spinach Potage” (each priced at 216 yen including tax).
Preparing meals with the softness of the “No Need to Chew” category at home generally requires steps such as blending the food, and it is not easy to achieve the proper texture. Among business carers juggling both work and caregiving, there has been growing demand for meals that can be easily provided to people with significantly reduced chewing ability, without adding extra burden.
The series concept is “Enjoy the deliciousness of the meals you once loved.” Beyond functional value such as consideration for nutritional balance, the products also provide emotional value by “offering variety and helping to restore the desire to eat.” They aim to make difficult-to-eat dishes enjoyable again, while ensuring that elderly people with rich food experience can eat deliciously and safely. Kewpie also draws on know-how accumulated through baby food development, combining it with cooking techniques learned from professional chefs, with special attention to color, aroma, cooking feel, and the natural quality of ingredients.
Regarding the current status and future of the “Yasashii Kondate” brand, Kotaro Kihara, General Manager of the Wellness Strategy Department in the Marketing Division, introduced the expansion of the company’s wellness domain, which includes nursing care food, Foods for Specified Health Uses (FOSHU), Foods with Functional Claims, and supplements. He stated that improving product quality while raising awareness of “Yasashii Kondate” will help encourage repeat purchases.
Team Leader Manami Urui emphasized the phased progression of Japan’s aging society and stressed that commercial nursing care foods can serve as social tools that support the abilities of care recipients while reducing the burden on caregiving families.
Regarding the development of new products, Hideaki Suzuki indicated a direction of pursuing unique expansion by highlighting the value of both “ingredient-based” and “menu-based” items.