On March 26, 2026, the 4th General Meeting of the Universal Taste of Japan Roundtable took place at the Kankeiren Umekita Site in Grand Green Osaka.
This roundtable was established last year ahead of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. Its goal was to help create an environment that can meet diverse food needs, including vegetarian, vegan, and Muslim-friendly options. Even after the Expo ended, these efforts have continued as part of the tourism committee initiatives of the Asia Business Creation Platform (ABC Platform) of the Kansai Economic Federation, with the aim of building an environment that can meet diverse food needs.
VegeProject Japan has taken part in this initiative since its preliminary stages, as an expert on vegetarian and vegan matters.
・You can find the report on the 1st General Meeting (held in December 2021) here
・You can find the report on the 2nd General Meeting (held in January 2024) here
・You can find the report on the 3rd General Meeting (held in March 2025) here
This time, we gave a presentation on insights we have earned through our vegetarian and vegan-related work. In the presentation, we also shared the potential of vegetarian and vegan options, current trends, and possible ways to collaborate.
At the venue, we also displayed vegan-certified ingredients, including familiar retail products and vegan dashi broth, which is particularly important in the development of vegan Japanese dishes. We introduced VegeProject Japan’s work and shared the possibilities of vegan products and vegan options.
We had the chance to speak with people from the food manufacturing industry, restaurant and accommodation businesses, and those involved in community development, and we also received proposals for collaboration.
We hope to continue working with all of you to create more vegetarian and vegan options.
