In this page, you will find the interview with a business that has acquired JFS Standard, in which they describe their efforts toward acquiring JFS Standard and the effects they have achieved after acquisition.

This article was produced under a project subsidized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in 2023.

CiX Holdings Corporation (frozen food production and sales)

　CiX Holdings K.K., 　headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is engaged in a variety of businesses, including human resources education and craft frozen foods. Its "Restaurant Personnel University," which trains professional chefs in a short period of time, has attracted a great deal of attention and has been covered by numerous media outlets. In the Kraft Frozen business, the company has two manufacturing bases in Taisho and Ikuno wards in Osaka City, where it produces the PLATINUM FROZEN series, frozen foods that rely on additives as little as possible by utilizing manual labor and cooking time to produce them with the latest freezing technology. By utilizing the latest vacuum technology and -60~-30℃ liquid quick-freezing technology, it is possible to maintain the freshness, texture, and flavor of food ingredients and to freeze food hygienically. Although the products are mainly relatively high unit price, the high quality of the products is supported by many customers. In addition to selling to the general public, the company also sells wholesale to restaurants, hotels, and camping facilities. in February 2024, the Miyukimori Plant, located in Ikuno Ward, Osaka City, was certified to JFS-B standards. Today, we spoke with Hajime Hoshino, General Manager of the Kraft Frozen Products Division, who led the movement to acquire the JFS-B standard onsite, about the purpose of the acquisition and his vision for the future.

-Please tell us the background behind your acquisition of the JFS-B standard.

General Manager Hoshino (hereafter Hoshino): We manufacture high value-added frozen foods that are particular about ingredients and freezing methods, but the price range is high compared to other companies' products. In order to encourage more customers to purchase such frozen foods, we thought it necessary to prove the high level of safety. Therefore, we decided that it would be better to have some kind of certification (letter of conformance) as a tool to prove the high level of food sanitation. there are various certifications (letter of conformance) other than JFS, but considering the scale of Miyukimori factory, we came to the conclusion that JFS-B standard is the best. There is no point in obtaining a simple certification, and if it is too difficult, it will be a setback. From this perspective, we felt that the JFS-B standard is very well-balanced. We also thought that a Japanese-born certification (letter of conformance) would be easier to use.

-How do you plan to make use of the JFS-B standard?

Hoshino: We intend to make full use of the JFS-B standard as a tool to gain the trust of our clients. We have only been in business for a short period of time, and our brand power is not as strong as that of other well-known companies. We are aware that the JFS-B standard complements this. We are absolutely confident in our food hygiene, but only a well-established company can be trusted by its clients just by saying "we are confident. For a newly established company like ours, a certification (letter of conformance) like the JFS-B standard, which guarantees a high level of safety in food production, is truly appreciated.

-What was your impression when you actually checked the contents of the JFS-B standard?

Hoshino: As I thought, since the JFS-B standard was made in Japan, it was very easy to understand, including the guidelines.This is my subjective opinion, but I felt that the specifications were easy to use for small and medium-sized companies like ours. Compared to other certifications (conformity assessment), it is probably superior in terms of ease of understanding and usability.

-What was the reaction of your business partners to your acquisition of the JFS-B standard?

Hoshino: We have not made it well known since it has been a short time since we acquired the standard, but we intend to make good use of it in our business negotiations with our suppliers. We purchase frozen food ingredients from a number of suppliers, and if we have a certification (letter of conformance) like the JFS-B standard, our suppliers will recognize that we are a company that cares about safety. We do not mean to deter our suppliers, but we believe that this type of certification (letter of conformance) provides us with a basis for asserting something in business negotiations. For example, if we have the JFS-B standard as the basis for our claim that we want to purchase only raw materials that have been checked more strictly, our business partners will be more convinced. Most companies think of the benefits of certification (letter of conformance) in terms of customers, but we believe that there are also significant benefits in terms of business partners (suppliers).

-How was the reaction of the employees on site?

Hoshino: Many of our employees involved in the production of frozen foods had no experience in food production before joining our company. So they were not at all familiar with the idea of obtaining certification (letter of conformance). To be honest, some employees did not react very positively. However, we cannot obtain certification (letter of conformance) without the cooperation of the field. In order to convince employees to cooperate, we carefully explained the purpose and benefits of obtaining certification (letter of conformance) to them. By doing so, everyone was convinced. We believe that if we omit the process of carefully explaining the standard to on-site employees, the efforts to acquire the standard will not proceed smoothly. Even if it seems tedious, we should not spare the process of convincing front-line employees.

-Do you have a vision of starting an export business in the future?

Hoshino: We would like to start an export business in the future. In order to export our frozen foods, in addition to the JFS-B standard, a more difficult certification (letter of conformance) such as the JFS-C standard is required. By acquiring the JFS-B standard this time, we have accumulated the know-how to obtain some kind of certification (letter of conformance), and we would like to take full advantage of this know-how to obtain a higher level of certification (letter of conformance). We are considering Malaysia as a specific export destination.

-What are your expectations for JFS standards?

Hoshino: I would like to see the JFS standard gain more recognition. I think it is a very user-friendly certification (letter of conformance), but I don't think it is promoted enough. I think that more aggressive publicity activities would be good, and I believe that raising the visibility of the standard will encourage companies that are considering acquiring it.

-What is your message to companies that are considering acquiring the JFS standard?

Hoshino: Consumers are becoming more and more aware of food safety and sanitation, and the need for food manufacturers to obtain some kind of certification (letter of conformance) is much greater than before. If you are interested in obtaining some kind of certification (letter of conformance), you may want to consider the JFS-B standard.

-Thank you very much for your time today.

Company Profile
Company Name: CiX Holdings K.K.
Representative: Soichi Yokoyama
Address: Miyukimori Plant 5-5-37 Momoya, Ikuno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka,
544-0034, Japan
Founded: February 18, 2020
URL https://www.cix-hd.com/

The Japanese version of the interview is available in the PDF below.

Disclaimer: The translation process used on this English website is partially offered by a "machine translation" for your convenience. This translated document is provided for information purposes only. In the event of a difference of interpretation or a dispute, the original Japanese version of this document is binding.