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Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (“Ajinomoto Co.”) will roll out its nutrition improvement activities globally with the introduction on April 1, 2020 of the Ajinomoto Group Nutrient Profiling System for Products (“ANPS-P”), which it developed as a method of scientifically assessing the nutritional value of products such as powdered soups and frozen foods. ANPS-P will cover approximately 500 products at nine Ajinomoto Group companies in seven countries including Japan (Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Ajinomoto AGF, Inc., Ajinomoto Frozen Foods Co., Inc., AJINOMOTO CO. (THAILAND) LTD., AJINOMOTO VIETNAM CO., LTD., PT AJINOMOTO INDONESIA, AJINOMOTO PHILIPPINES CORPORATION, Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhad and AJINOMOTO DO BRASIL INDÚSTRIA E COMÉRCIO DE ALIMENTOS LTDA.).

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Continuous product improvement through ANPS (Graphic: Business Wire)

The world is facing two paradoxical nutritional issues: over 2 billion people are presumed to be at risk for lifestyle-related diseases as a result of being obese or overweight due to excessive nutrient intake,¹ while on the other hand their diets tend to be insufficient in protein, vegetables, dietary fiber and other nutrients. However, it is difficult for consumers to eat a balanced diet every day based on a knowledge of essential nutrients. There is growing public interest in the efforts of governments and companies to improve nutrition.

Against this background, global food companies have been developing and introducing nutrient profiling systems (“NPSs”) as methods for assessing the amounts of nutrients in a food on a scientific basis in order to express its nutritional quality in an easy-to-understand manner. An NPS uses a specific algorithm to evaluate the nutritional quality of food as a score (numerical value) to enable comparison of the nutritional value of multiple products in the same category, or of a single product before and after a reformulation, using a common axis for assessment.

The ANPS-P developed by the Ajinomoto Group is based on the scoring method of the Health Star Rating System, an NPS used mainly in Australia and New Zealand. This system assesses the nutritional value of products based on the quantity of each nutrient that should not be consumed in excess (calories, added sugars,² sodium and saturated fats³) and the quantity of each nutrient and food group that tend to be underrepresented in diets and for which intake is recommended (proteins, vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes and dietary fiber).

The introduction of ANPS-P enables a better understanding of nutritional issues by using a common standard to assess the nutritional value of the Ajinomoto Group products. Based on this understanding, the Ajinomoto Group will continue to revise its products and provide products with high nutritional value that make it easy to reduce salt and consume protein, among other benefits, thereby helping to improve consumer health. Going forward, the Ajinomoto Group also plans to develop and introduce an NPS for meals that use the Ajinomoto Group products with the aim of providing total support for a nutritionally balanced diet.

The Ajinomoto Group will continue to contribute to comfortable lives and longer healthy lifespans for consumers as it transforms into a “Company That Helps Resolve Food and Health Issues.”

1. New England Journal of Medicine 2017, World Health Organization (WHO) 2016
2. Refers to five sugars (sucrose, glucose, fructose, lactose and maltose) that are added to food products. Does not include naturally occurring sugars (lactose from milk or milk fractions, monosaccharides and disaccharides from natural fruit ingredients).
3. Fatty acids primarily found in animal fat.

The Ajinomoto Group, based on the corporate message “Eat Well, Live Well.”, has been scientifically pursuing the possibilities of amino acids in supporting the healthy lives of people all around the world. We aim for future growth and continuous contribution to greater wellness by creating value through sustainable and innovative solutions for communities and society.

The Ajinomoto Group has offices in 35 countries and regions, and sells products in more than 130 countries and regions. In fiscal 2018, sales were 1.1274 trillion yen (10.1 billion U.S. dollars). To learn more, visit www.ajinomoto.com.

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