Achievement by 2020: 5) Partnerships and Public Communications
Ajinomoto is determined to become more involved in public concerns and leverage its unique strengths to help solve social issues.
Various Communications Activities
Celebrating food, health, and the environment at the Appreciation Day for Residents of the Local Community at “AJINOMOTO STADIUM”
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Food and nutrition class about coffee production by Ajinomoto General Foods, Inc. |
Food and nutrition class about the secret of the great taste of CALPIS® by Calpis Co., Ltd. |
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In March 2003, the Ajinomoto Group became the first corporate group to acquire naming rights for a public facility in Japan, resulting in Tokyo Stadium being renamed as “AJINOMOTO STADIUM.”
To commemorate the fifth anniversary of its acquisition and the renewal of the naming rights contract, the company participated in the first Appreciation Day for Residents of the Local Community at the stadium in 2008 in cooperation with three neighboring cities, Chofu, Mitaka, and Fuchu. It became an annual event and was held again in 2009. So far, both events have drawn over 20,000 visitors, and further enhanced the appeal of the stadium.
The group's theme for the first Appreciation Day, held in 2008, was “promoting the health of people and the planet.” Hands-on food and nutrition education classes designed to convey the importance of creating healthy dietary habits and healthy bodies were held for children and their parents through the combined efforts of Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Calpis Co., Ltd., and Ajinomoto General Foods, Inc. The very foundation for such lifestyles is the global environment, so to help protect it, visitors were shown ways to take environmental action locally—starting at the dinner table. Through these activities, the company encouraged people to take positive actions for the planet.
At the second Appreciation Day held in 2009, the Ajinomoto Group gave a number of hands-on workshops that were innovative and interactive, based on the theme of “Eat Well, Live Well.” A wide range of the group's corporate activities was also showcased. The Ajinomoto Group plans to share information with local residents through various events such as these.
Ajinomoto General Foods, Inc. Web site
Discovering the source of delicious food: plant tours
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Plant tours enable people to actually observe and experience the production process for the company's products—from the growing of raw materials through production to quality control. In cooperation with communities, the company accommodates various requests, such as providing its School Tour of Education on Eating and other comprehensive food education programs.
In fiscal 2008, a total of 66,000 people participated in the program at the Kawasaki, Tokai, and Kyushu plants of Ajinomoto Co., Inc. At the Kawasaki Plant, local residents were also invited for food tasting. In fiscal 2009, all three plants are particularly focused on holding the School Tour of Education on Eating.
Plant tour for employees' families at Nippon Protein
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Experiment demonstrated by an employee in the dining area |
Commemorative photo of all the participants |
On August 9, 2008, a plant tour was conducted at Nippon Protein Co., Ltd. for the families of employees. Nippon Protein manufactures cysteine, an amino acid used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Considering that not all family members would be familiar with the plant's product, the tour offered an explanation of amino acids and cysteine and also demonstrated an experiment.
The tour was well received by the participants, including mothers, children, and junior high school students—some of whom keenly took notes. A participant mentioned that she became aware of the use of cysteine in cosmetics through a TV advertisement, while another was happy to see where his father worked and relieved about the high level of safety. One mother noted that the tour was also fun for children, and another participant commented that she gained an understanding of the difficulty involved in making pharmaceuticals. In the end, family members were able to gain a better understanding of the work performed by their loved ones. In the future, the company plans to offer plant tours to high school students and local neighborhood residents.
CALPIS® Girl's Festival Day gifts
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Calpis Co., Ltd. actively undertakes corporate citizenship activities designed to nurture the next generation. For example, during Japan's traditional dolls festival for girls, the company gives free CALPIS® beverages to kindergartens and childcare facilities across Japan as part of its CALPIS® Girl's Festival Day Gifts program. This program started in 1963 after the company founder, Kaiun Mishima, made a toast wishing for a fun Girl's Festival using CALPIS®, which resembles a traditional Girl's Festival beverage. In 2009, the 45th year of this program, over three million children at 26,990 facilities celebrated the Girl's Festival with CALPIS®. Along with the free CALPIS®, each of these children received an original mini picture book. The company has been offering the books since 1984 with the goal of enhancing the emotional development of children through pictures. Employees visited the facilities to read the books, perform magic tricks and dance in the hope of creating fond memories for the children. Calpis plans to continue this program as one of its unique CSR activities to support the healthy growth of children.
