On May 10 (Sat.), 2025, VegeProject Japan hosted “The Future of Food: Vegan & Plant-Based Academy” at the “UTAGE” Pavilion in the ORA Dining Area of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai.
This event aimed to highlight the significance and appeal of vegan and plant-based options as an essential part of the future of food. Together with six partnering businesses offering vegan products, we presented a variety of programs exploring veganism from multiple perspectives, including environmental protection, animal welfare, culture, and health. The full-day event featured lectures, hands-on workshops, and tastings.
Held on a weekend, the Expo venue was livelier than usual, with a constant flow of visitors to the “UTAGE” Pavilion throughout the day. The programs of the Vegan & Plant-Based Academy were well-attended. It was particularly heartwarming to see families reading the educational panels together while working on the quiz about vegan lifestyles organized by VegeProject Japan.
With the Expo’s overarching theme being “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” we hope this initiative helped introduce children—who will shape our future—to veganism as a step toward a more sustainable world.
-
- Quiz participants
-
- Parents and children working on the quiz together
Participating Companies and Program Lineup (in order of appearance):
・Lapain: No Waste! Discover Snacks Made from Upcycled Ingredients
・KaRuNa : The Future of Food—How plant-based will change your table
・Enny: Japanese Traditional Confectionery “Nerikiri” Workshop
・Chikusha: Wasanbon Sugar Molding Experience
・Nisshin Shokai: Vegan Eats Across Borders: Japan & Taiwan Edition
・Maisen Fine Food: Meet JOYGREEN: Plant-Based Innovation by Kameda Seika & Meissen Fine Food
・VegeProject Japan: All-Day Exhibition and Vegan Quiz Game with Prizes
-
- Lapain
-
- KaRuNa
-
- Enny
-
- Chikusha
-
- Nisshin Shokai
-
- Meissen Fine Food
-
- VegeProject Japan
For this event, VegeProject Japan prepared a leaflet and a video aimed at creating awareness of veganism. These were distributed and screened at the venue. Both were created to be accessible for people who are new to the concept of vegan choices and lifestyles.
-
- Leaflet: What is Vegan Food?
-
- Visitors watching vegan video
The quiz rally was supported by the following nine companies, who generously provided vegan-certified products as prizes for participants who answered all quiz questions correctly.
(in alphabetical order)
・Alpha Foods: Vegetable Soup that Thinks about your Body Minestrone
・FruOats : FruOats
・KAGOME: KAGOME Plant-Based Series
Soy Meat Keema Curry / Three-Bean Vegetable Curry / Spinach Soy Meat Curry / Vegetable & Bean Massaman Curry
・Kyoto Grain System: Pearl Barley Syrup
・MD Holdings: Soy Milk Okara Cookies / Okome-san Rice Snacks
・Otsuka Pharmaceutical: SOYJOY Plant-Based (White Chocolate & Lemon / Banana)
・Oriental: Mars Curry Soy Meat Keema
・Saniku Foods: Plant Based Meat Sauce
・Yamagataya Shouten: Sliced Sendai-fu / Sendai Fukuchan (miso flavor)
A wide range of vegan-certified products was showcased at the venue, demonstrating how accessible and readily available vegan options are in everyday life.
Through this event, we hope more people will start choosing vegan and plant-based foods—even just once a day or once a week—as part of their lifestyle.
We extend our sincere gratitude to all the attendees who participated in our programs and to everyone who supported the planning and execution of this event.
The program of Vegan & Plant-Based Academy.