November 17, 2025
Otsuka Foods Co., Ltd.
TOKYO, Japan, November 17, 2025—Otsuka Foods Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Chuo Ward, Osaka; President: Goro Ikeuchi) announced that it has received the “Special Award” in the Food and Culture Awards granted by the Research Foundation of Food And Culture as part of its 2025 awards program. This is the first time a food manufacturer has received this honor. The award ceremony was held on November 14, at Seiyoken in Ueno, Tokyo.
The Food and Culture Awards, established by the Foundation in 1980, represent a prestigious program with an over 40-year history that honors individuals and organizations contributing to the improvement and development of Japanese food culture.
Otsuka Foods received this prestigious award in recognition of its pioneering role in retort foods, beginning with the launch of Bon Curry in 1968 — the world’s first commercially available retort food product. The selection committee valued the company's contribution to popularizing new values such as preservation, time-saving, and convenience, as well as its creativity and development capabilities in creating “new food experiences.”
Furthermore, the award acknowledged the company’s pursuit of “Deliciousness, Safety, Peace of Mind, and Better Health'” in foods, as well as its efforts to address contemporary dietary challenges by developing products such as My Size, Mannanhikari, and Sugoi Daizu, which balance taste and health while meeting the needs of today’s diversifying lifestyles.
Looking ahead, Otsuka Foods will continue to develop products that stay ahead of the times while pursuing a variety of activities to make people’s dietary lives more healthy and fulfilling.