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 2022.

Awa Market Corporation (processing of wakame seaweed, etc.)

Awa Ichiba Co., Ltd. operates a business in Naruto City, Tokushima Prefecture, focusing on the processing of marine products such as wakame seaweed. The company is committed to the traditional manual processing of salt-cured wakame, and is not pursuing extreme automation. The wakame processed in this way is favored by clients throughout Japan who value quality, and the company has a track record of doing business with major supermarkets. In addition to wakame, the company also produces paste of Naruto kintoki, Tokushima's specialty sweet potato, and processes fresh fish. The company also focuses on mail-order business and has established a system to provide its products directly to end-users. The company was founded in 2008, and although it is a relatively new company among many long-established wakame processing companies, it has been actively diversifying its business and steadily increasing its business performance. In February 2024, the company's third factory in Naruto was certified under the JFS-B standard. In this interview, we spoke with Shinsuke Ueno, representative of the company, and Emi Anzaki, who led the JFS-B standard acquisition process onsite, about the background and goals behind the acquisition of the standard, as well as future prospects for making use of the standard.

-Please tell us about the background of your acquisition of the JFS-B standard this time.

President Ueno: When we built our new third factory, we were thinking of obtaining some kind of certification. We were initially thinking of another certification, but one of our former clients advised us to consider the JFS standard, and we decided to look into it. We decided to obtain the JFS standard because we thought it would be more effective in promoting food hygiene to our clients.

-Did you know about the JFS standard before you considered acquiring the standard?

Ueno：I had never heard of it until one of our clients told us about it. I have the impression that it is still not as well known as other certifications (letter of conformance). I think people in charge of quality assurance know about it, but I don't think it is that well known among sales representatives of manufacturers. As a company that has acquired the JFS-B standard, I would like to see the company actively publicize the standard and raise its name recognition.

-What was the client's reaction to your acquisition of the JFS-B standard?

Ueno：We have just acquired the standard, so I feel that we are still in the early stages. Food safety awareness is increasing throughout society, and we expect that the client will give us a certain level of recognition. No matter how much we say that we are thorough in food hygiene, it is difficult to convince people without a standard to prove it, so I think it is very meaningful to have acquired the standard.

-Did you encounter any difficulties in your efforts to obtain the JFS-B standard?

Yasuzaki: I led the movement to obtain the JFS-B standard on site. I usually work in general affairs and had no experience in obtaining any kind of certification (letter of conformance), so I proceeded with advice from those who were familiar with the process. We had already obtained HACCP certification at our headquarters plant in the past, so we were able to use the documents from that time, which was very helpful. If we had obtained some kind of certification (letter of conformance) in the past and the documentation was still available, I believe it would be very useful. Personally, I feel that we could do this more smoothly if we had a team of several employees working on the initiative.

-What is your vision for the future utilizing the JFS-B standard?

Ueno: We intend to utilize it as a powerful option for existing clients. The fisheries industry is not very active in acquiring such standards, partly because many businesses are small. That is why we believe that acquiring the JFS-B standard will give the company a competitive edge. Of course, we intend to use this standard not only for our existing clients , but also when approaching new clients. After all, I feel that acquiring a highly reliable standard is a great weapon for a company.

-Are you considering exporting your products in the future?

Ueno：We are still exporting some of the products manufactured at our main factory to the U.S., albeit indirectly. We do not have a concrete vision for the future yet, but now that we have acquired the JFS-B standard, we may well choose to further strengthen exports. We are not an export-oriented company by any means, but I think there is a lot of room for growth in this area. The ability to make this kind of choice is another advantage of acquiring the JFS-B standard.

-What are your priorities for the future, now that you have just acquired the JFS-B standard?

Ueno：I think it's about changing the awareness of employees onsite. The awareness of the employees who were involved in the acquisition of the standard has changed significantly, but I feel that it is still not enough for the rest of the employees. Even if we go to the trouble of acquiring the standard, it will be meaningless if the awareness of employees has not caught up to the standard. For example, in the processing of wakame seaweed, we stick to the old-fashioned way in which human hands are involved in many processes , and it is the people who are important. Our top priority is to raise the awareness of our employees who actually process food products on site to a level appropriate for the standards. I am confident that our employees, who have always had a high awareness of food hygiene, will be able to handle it.

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

Ueno: I believe that acquiring the JFS standard is a great opportunity to reform the awareness of our employees. With heightened awareness of food sanitation throughout society, "business as usual" is becoming less and less acceptable. In order to respond to this situation, we believe it is important to take on the challenge of acquiring a highly reliable standard such as the JFS standard, and to involve as many employees as possible in the efforts to acquire the standard. Involvement in efforts to obtain the standard will inevitably lead to a change in employees' awareness of food sanitation. It is a kind of employee education. It may be a little less obvious, but I believe that acquiring the JFS standard has such advantages.

-Thank you very much for your time today.

Company Profile
Company Name: Awa Ichiba Corporation
Representative: Shinsuke Ueno,
Address: Factory No. 3 38-1 Nishikai, Awazu, Satoura-cho, Naruto City, Tokushima 772-0022,
Founded: December 2008
URL: https://awaichiba.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.