Along with society
Supporting Victims of the Turkey -Syria Earthquake
The Turkey -Syria earthquake occurred in February 2023. Ajinomoto Istanbul Food Industry and Trade Limited (“Ajinomoto Istanbul”) has been providing support for the many victims of the disaster since the beginning. Ajinomoto Istanbul will remain engaged in medium- to long-term support activities until those affected can resume their daily lives.
Ajinomoto Istanbul Support for Disaster Victims
On February 6, 2023, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake occurred having an epicenter in southeastern Türkiye near the Syrian border. More than 10,000 aftershocks continued over the following month, damaging more than 200,000 buildings in Türkiye. This massive disaster affected more than 13 million people, and many are still forced to live as evacuees.
Since the earthquake, Ajinomoto Istanbul, a local subsidiary of the Ajinomoto Group, has supported victims, including the donation of nearly 750,000 servings of Ajinomoto Group’s brand Bizim Mutfak soup. In addition, the Ajinomoto Group donated 10 million yen to the World Food Programme (WFP).
While there is still much debris to clear in the affected areas, Turkey celebrated Ramadan beginning March 22. During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from eating during the day. After sunset, an important meal called Iftar is eaten as the first meal of the day. Ajinomoto Istanbul dispatched food trucks to visit the afflicted areas offering hot soup, salads, and bread to earthquake victims.
Food Trucks Provide Meals for Iftar in the Midst of Evacuation
The Ajinomoto Group has been involved in direct support for victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake and other disasters. These past experiences were helpful in the group arranging for food trucks and meals, taking direct action in Turkey.
Ajinomoto Istanbul provided meals for four days in each of the five prefectures hit hardest by the earthquake, serving approximately 500 meals per day, amounting to approximately 10,000 meals during the period.
As the temperature is still chilly after sunset during this time of year, Ajinomoto Istanbul wanted to be sure victims had access to bowls of hot soup. We experienced difficulty in procuring Ramadan pide bread (a special bread service with soup during Iftar) by evening in the affected areas. However, as word of meal offerings spread through social networking sites and other media, more and more people began to look forward to the meals from early in the day, giving us a sense that many people were pleased with the aid.
This support activity also provided an opportunity for people to taste a salad made with fruit vinegar of Kemal Kükrer, alongside the Bizim Mutfak soup. We hope that these meals will be remembered fondly when the earthquake victims are able to resume their regular lives.
Medium- to Long-term Support for Disaster Victims From Team Japan
We undertook the meals for Ramadan as an independent effort. Our efforts going forward may change depending on the stage of recovery in the wake of the disaster. Therefore, we are planning a second round of support activities as Team Japan, calling on Japanese companies operating in Turkey.
In addition to providing meals through food trucks, we are considering distributing beverages and hygiene products from cooperating companies. Each company has a different area of expertise, and we hope to provide the best from each company under the circumstances through a cooperative framework and support tailored to the needs of disaster victims, helping them resume their daily lives as soon as possible. Support for disaster victims does not end with one-time assistance. We hope to offer help on a long-term basis, utilizing social media and other means to publicize information about our activities.