Future Foods Labo. is a business venture of Toyo Seikan Co., Ltd. based on packaging and food technology cultivated since our founding over a century ago. Its services provide total support for packaged foods and beverages offered in small volumes̶from recipe creation to incorporation as a product. The business contributes to the resolution of social issues through application of food technology in collaboration with a broad range of clients. These include major craft food and beverage manufacturers, food service industry, startup food-tech companies, and academic research institutions such as universities.
The domestic food service market made a strong recovery due to the letup in temporary store closings and eased restrictions on leaving home that had been created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Retort foods keep on growing due to increased calls for convenience and personalized meals. Also, the market for plant-derived alternative meats is projected to hit 88.6 billion yen by 2030 due to large growth on a global scale.
Boosted by these tailwinds, various customers, including the food service industry, breweries, and influencers are making their own packaged products in these and other categories. To cater to these needs, we are making use of the technology we have cultivated over the years as we strive to maximize the value added by Future Foods Labo. We are actively contributing to the resolution of food waste by expanding our efforts to propose preserved foods using retort pouches, plantbased alternatives that were previously deemed challenging, and products utilizing underutilized fish and fish parts.
We envision Future Foods Labo. as place to come up with the foods of the future by leveraging food tech. We will offer support for the sake of the customer to make products that truly have value.
Wataru Okubo
Toyo Seikan Co., Ltd.
Director and Operating Officer
Head of Technical Development
Head of Technical Center
At the Toyo Seikan Technical Center, the packaging we design guards against numerous factors that lead to food spoilage and quality degradation for a variety of beverage and food contents, so that they can be delivered to the customer safely and securely, and in the best state possible. Our work goes beyond packaging design to the providing of technical support to our customers̶on such topics as food processing, the filling and sealing of packaging, and sterilization. When we launched, it wasn’t just about futuristic things. We also aim to transform how value-added companies offer their services.
We are currently engaged in developing prototypes for plant-based processed foods and cans packed with unused fish and fish parts. Given the recent growth in the number of players who desire to make plant-based food and beverages, we can offer services to support clients like these who lack experience in food processing and filling. Then if we could grow together with them, it would be terrific.
It was a good thing that we started Future Foods Labo., and we have been very encouraged by how members have changed their awareness, primarily in the way they have come to think about how these services are tied to the fate of their businesses. Their activities will surely make the dinner table of the future a cornucopia.