The Premium Food Show 2025, a food exhibition targeting business operators, was held at Tokyo Big Sight for three days from Tuesday, April 15 to Thursday, April 17, 2025.
This exhibition is a specialized event that showcases globally trending food categories such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and halal options. This year again, it was held in conjunction with “FABEX 2025,” Japan’s largest business-to-business exhibition specializing in ready-made meals and dining out, along with other food and beverage related exhibitions. The combined event attracted 992 exhibiting companies and 56,685 visitors from the domestic and international food and beverage industry.
Our organization, VegeProject Japan, established the “VEG FOOD EXPO” an area dedicated to vegan food products and ingredients. Additionally, a business seminar titled “Three Reasons Why You Should Start a Vegan Business Now to Capture the 1.7 Trillion Yen Inbound Food Demand” was held, featuring our representative, Haruko Kawano, as one of four panelists discussing the Japanese vegan market.
In “VEG FOODE EXPO” area, we collaborated with businesses offering vegan products, particularly those who have obtained our vegan certification, to create the exhibition space. We showcased a wide range of vegan items including plant-based meat and cheese alternatives, butter and custard cream substitutes, as well as ready-to-eat and frozen foods.
Our area attracted visitors from a wide range of businesses, including restaurants, accommodation facilities, and food manufacturers who are considering introducing vegan menus and products.
The business seminar featuring our organization’s representative received over 100 advance registrations and was conducted to a full audience. The following four speakers explained why businesses should launch vegan initiatives now, with particular reference to the influence of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan:
- Haruyuki Yamashita, Owner Chef of HAL YAMASHITA Tokyo and Tokyo Tourism Ambassador
- Masanori Nakao, Business Development Manager, Marketing Headquarters, Rokko Butter Co., Ltd.
- Jun Omura, Secretary General of the General Incorporated Association Plant Based Lifestyle Lab/Pasona Group Inc.
- Haruko Kawano, Representative Director of NPO VegeProject Japan
During the seminar, discussions centered around three key reasons for promoting vegan initiatives: (1) the rapid increase in inbound tourism, (2) the role of the Expo as an experimental platform for future society, and (3) the urgent need to address current social issues.
Regarding inbound tourism, presenters shared survey data and global trends highlighting that foreign visitors to Japan include a relatively high proportion of vegetarians and vegans, and this trend is accelerating.
Regarding the Osaka Expo, Mr. Nakao presented his company’s store “QBB Kore mo Ii Kitchen” which is featured in the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion. He discussed the significance of establishing this all-vegan menu restaurant at the Expo—described as an “experimental site for future society”—along with the positive reception it has already received and its social and business benefits.
Kawano emphasized the broad potential of vegan initiatives, citing the company’s certified vegan cheese as a strong example of advanced food innovation. She emphasized that vegan initiatives can be applied to a wide range of products and appeal to diverse target audiences.
For the final topic of social issues, Mr. Yamashita, who also teaches at Keio University, addressed environmental and food security challenges related to our current food systems. Our representative Kawano introduced the Meat Free Monday initiative—a concept promoted by former Beatles member Paul McCartney encouraging people to abstain from meat once weekly. She emphasized to the audience that even as a business initiative, it is important for individual managers to personally commit to such movements, and that organizations can start with feasible steps rather than viewing it as an all-or-nothing approach.
Following the seminar, numerous participants visited our organization’s booth to share their impressions and express their enthusiasm for implementing vegan options in the future.
We extend our sincere gratitude to the Premium Food Show organizers, all exhibitors who participated in the “Vegan Selection,” and the numerous visitors who stopped by our organization’s booth and attended our seminar. We hope this exhibition and seminar will assist visitors in developing vegan products and vegan-friendly menu items, contributing to the growth of this sector.
Companies Exhibiting in “Vegan Selection” (in Japanese alphabetical order)
・Agapefarm Co., Ltd. (Fermented soy milk）
・DOYAKAI Co., Ltd. (Gelato)
・Entrex Inc. (Vegan pizza, plant-based meat, lemonade)
・Fujicco Co., Ltd. (Soy yogurt, soy bean meals)
・GYOZAKEIKAKU Co., Ltd. (Frozen gyoza, frozen shumai)
・Infinivalue Ltd. (Various vegan products)
・Kaze to Hikari Co., Ltd. (Seasonings and retort foods made from organic ingredients)
・MARUZEN FOOD INDUSTRY Co., Ltd. (Vegan tonkotsu-style soup, tantanmen soup)
・Nanyang Trading Inc. (Various vegan ingredients)
・Nibishi Shoyu Co., Ltd. (Soy sauce, dashi)
・NICHIFUTSU BOEKI K.K. (Egg substitutes)
・Okinawa Oganikku Shokuhin meka (Organic ingredients)
・Rokko Butter Co., Ltd. (Plant-based cheese)
・Saniku Foods Co., Ltd. (Vegan ham, pea-based meat, white sauce, meat sauce)
・TSUKISHIMA FOODS INDUSTRY Co., Ltd. (Plant-based custard cream, cream, butter, lard substitutes)
・United Super Markets Holdings Inc. (Retort foods using Beyond Meat from the U.S.)
・Vege and Earth (Vegan media)
・WAbility Inc. (Dried fruits from Wakayama Prefecture)
・Yamagataya Shouten Co., Ltd. (Sendai-fu [abura-fu], a traditional ingredient from Tome, Miyagi Prefecture)
・1Blue Inc. (Natural energy bars, persimmon-based energy bars, plant-based protein bars)
・VegeProject Japan (Our Organization)