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Search In April 2022, the CHL Japan team have renewed their partnership with Chiba city to support the ambition of ‘Improvement of Eating Habits of Chiba Citizens’. The partnership began in 2021 with the support of members of The Consumer Goods Forum, AEON Co., Ltd., Ajinomoto Co.,Inc., Kokubu Group Corp. and Kikkoman Corporation to collectively tackle salt reduction.
This collaborative action is in support of the WHO global benchmarks to encourage countries and industries to reach the WHO target of 30% reduction in global salt/sodium intake by 2025. CHL worked to improve eating habits and increase awareness of the effects of high salt consumption in Japanese diets. High levels of salt consumption can pose various health problems such as a higher risk of heart disease.
The project began with an awareness campaign at the AEON Marinepia store and since mid-September 2021, the campaign has spread to five other AEON stores in Chiba city. 23 salt reduction recipes were introduced in-stores at low-salt product isles as well as online on an official website.
As part of the CHL KPI framework, a consumer survey (Aeon, January 2022) showed that:
- About 11% of the respondents knew that their salt intake was higher than the national average.
- About 18% knew about the initiative and about 70% of them decided to be more conscious about their salt intake after hearing about the initiative.
- About 62% of those who saw the video in the questionnaire of the survey answered that they “understood the necessity of reducing salt”.
In addition, the 2022 results also showed a 9% sales increase in the salt reduction category creating shared value for all members to continue to raise awareness of the importance of salt reduction.
The CHL Japan team have planned to scale their initiatives and collaboration with Chiba City by:
- Permanently installing low-salt product corners at AEON Marinepia store and five other AEON stores in the city.
- Continuing to develop low-salt recipes. Each series of recipes will be released four times during the year to correspond with seasonal ingredients.
- Scheduling events at AEON stores, three times a year during the months of August, October, and January. These events will include seminars, panel exhibitions, experience corners and awareness surveys on salt reduction.
Through projects like these, CHL Japan will continue to play an important role in contributing to the overall goal of the Collaboration for Healthier Lives Coalition of Action to empower healthier lives globally. Healthier and More Sustainable Lives was also the key focus at the recent CGF Japan Day which welcomed over 400 Japanese members to speak about the future beyond the SDGs and the key role our industry plays for a healthier future.
