Nissui 'Aji Fry SE90'.
Nissui will launch a total of 17 new products (15 new and 2 renewal products) as part of its commercial food products for spring and summer 2023 nationwide on 1 March (1 April for some products).
The overall concept of this year's launch is: (1) Focus on mass retailers' prepared food sales areas, which are robust, and on restaurants, which are recovering; (2) Propose products with special attention to detail in the face of rising costs; and (3) Propose products that can cope with a shortage of cooks and rising oil prices. Products will be launched in response to each of these.
The new products include six deep-fried seafood products, two processed chicken products, one Chinese (yakisai) product, three rice products and three sauces, etc. At the new product launch held in Tokyo on 24 January, the background to the development of commercial food products was explained by Mr Kenji Kanazawa, General Manager of the Commercial Food Products Department.
Mr Kanazawa cited two backgrounds to the development of new products: firstly, the strengthening of product proposals for honmono-oriented products in response to polarisation; in 2022, food price increases will exceed 20,000 items, and in 2023, price increases for over 4,400 items have already been announced and are planned.
Price increases are inevitable for Nissui commercial food products as well, as many imported products are affected by foreign exchange rates.
The second is to strengthen products for baking and steaming in response to soaring oil prices. In addition to soaring oil prices, there is a declining trend in the provision of fried food menus due to the labour shortage and the time and effort required to manage fryers, and we will strengthen baked and steamed products in response to changes in cooking methods.
This spring, new products will be introduced based on these factors. A special product that makes the most of the ingredients, horse mackerel fry SE90 (60 pieces, 5400g), is aimed at the prepared food sections of mass merchandisers and food services. This is a 'one frozen' fried horse mackerel, in which the ingredients are battered and frozen in a fresh state without being frozen once after being landed. The product is processed within 36 hours from landing to battering, and has a batter ratio of 45%, which is thinner than that of conventional products, to give a crispy, crispy texture. With this added value, the company aims to contribute to a review of the unit price on the sales floor.
As this is a one frozen product using fresh ingredients, it will be produced in limited quantities from October to April, the horse mackerel fishing season. The cooking method is oil cooking and the production plant is a cooperative factory in China.
Bincho charcoal-grilled chicken thigh steaks (6 pieces, 870g), which can be oven-cooked without the use of oil, are aimed at the delicatessen sections of mass retailers, food service, industrial catering and cash-and-carry. It is a category that the company has not been able to line up in the past, although it appears frequently in all types of businesses. It is also healthier than deep-fried food as it can be cooked without the use of oil, meeting the demand of health-conscious consumers.
Each charcoal-grilled steak weighs approximately 145 g and is made from the thigh meat of young chickens, and features an authentic charcoal flavour and grill marks, slowly grilled over binchotan charcoal. It is lightly seasoned to enhance the charcoal aroma and is suitable for arranging. In addition, to make it easier for users to use, the product has a flat, stable shape that inhibits flaking. The cooking method is oven and the production plant is a cooperative factory in China.
Nissui 'Bincho charcoal-grilled chicken thigh steak'.
Chef's Diner Chicken Rice (250g/1kg) is a product for delicatessen, food service and cash & carry, rich in the sweetness of tomatoes and the delicious taste of vegetables and chicken, with a hint of fermented butter. As with the new cold home-use product Blissful Taste of Chicken Rice, the ingredients and tomatoes are simmered to bring out the sweet and savoury flavours, and the sweetness and richness of the tomatoes, the deliciousness of the vegetables and the aroma of the fermented butter are enhanced by the unique Aroma-Up process.
According to Kanazawa, demand for chicken rice has been steady in both restaurant and home-cooked food, with a shift from homemade to frozen pilaf occurring due to a shortage of manpower at cooking sites, as well as in terms of colour for lunchboxes, including take-out and delivery. The product is available in two standards, 250g and 1kg, and can be selected according to the intended use. Cooking methods include microwave, sticcone and pan-frying, and the production plant is the Hachioji General Plant.