By Food Made Good Japan
On November 15, 2021, the first sustainability awards in Tokyo, “FOOD MADE GOOD Japan Awards 2021” organized by SRA-J was held at MY Shokudo Hall & Kitchen (Sponsored by Mitsubishi Estate). The awards originally started by SRA in the UK and have been held once a year by Hong Kong SRA since last year.
Among the SRA-J member restaurants, 14 restaurants in Japan that received high ratings were nominated for the awards, and the grand prize and category awards (Sourcing, environment, and society) were given to the restaurants that have promoted outstanding initiatives.
In addition to the nominated restaurants, SRA-J partners, sponsors, experts who served as judges, and media attended the event, which was also live-streamed online.
While restaurants do not have many opportunities to connect with their peers and other industries, this event was a valuable opportunity to create a network with collective impact to build a sustainable food system.
Award-winning restaurants
Grand Prize: haishop cafe (Cafe, Yokohama-city, Kanagawa)
Haishop cafe’s initiative has new ideas to change existing concepts in the society. With a vegan menu as its signature menu, they contribute to reduction of food loss in the community by making juice from vegetables discarded at the local market and selling it. They are highly evaluated because of the following reasons: not only the company and the management, but also the whole community and their employees are involved in promoting new sustainability initiatives; they have appointed all of its employees as “sustainable designers”, and have created a system where each employee can think and deliver their own ideas, and the entire organization can develop initiatives; they are also working with students, local communities, and NPOs to promote their initiatives; they are communicating social messages and developing a successful business at the same time.
Category Awards “Sourcing”: KITCHEN MANE (Original cuisine, Yokohama-city, Kanagawa)
KITCHEN MANE visits vegetable growers and fishermen directly, actively uses underutilized fish, procures according to standards, and can guarantee traceability. They are also actively involved in local production for local consumption. The Sourcing policy introduced by the management company, Innovation Design, for all three member restaurants is comprehensive and concrete, making it easy to implement and highly effective. The company’s efforts to minimize greenhouse gas emissions during Sourcing were also highly evaluated. Not having a fixed grand menu is more effective both in Sourcing and in raising awareness.
Category Awards “Society”: Kayanoya Restaurant (Japanese restaurant, Hisayama-town, Fukuoka)
In the category of “Society,” Oryori Kayanoya was highly evaluated because they value not only their customers but also employees. Oryori Kayanoya has a well-developed system that allows employees to work with a sense of security and motivation. They have a support system for skill development, a unique leave system, and actively promotes work-life balance. As for community support, they donate to social action programs in Japan. Their business concept is to develop healthy and nutritious menus, which are recognized by customers. They also provide individualized support for allergies.
Category Awards “Environment”: BOTTEGA BLUE (Italian restaurant, Ashiya-city, Hyogo)
BOTTEGA BLUE has reduced food waste to almost zero by using the “nose-to-tail cooking method,” which is a method that uses whole ingredients and does not produce leftovers, making veggie broth, and composting. They are reducing food waste while ensuring the deliciousness of the food. They don’t use any plastic products for take-away and reuse returnable containers with their suppliers to avoid wasting containers and packaging. They thoroughly educate their employees on recycling and use 100% renewable energy to reduce environmental impact as much as possible.
Nominated Restaurants
- PIZZERIA GTALIA DA FIlLIPPO (Pizzeria, Nerima-ku, Tokyo)
- L’OSIER (French restaurant, Chuo-ku, Tokyo)
- FARO (Italian restaurant, Chuo-ku, Tokyo)
- KIGI (Japanese restaurant, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)
- OPPLA’! DA GTALIA (Pizzeria, Nerima-ku, Tokyo)
- Bella Porto (Farmer’s restaurant, Osaka-city)
- SELVAGGIO (Pizzeria, Matsuno-town, Ehime)
- Graal (French restaurant, Sendai-city, Miyagi)
- Niseko Chise garden (Italian restaurant, Niseko-town, Hokkaido)
- Tominari (Japanese restaurant, Wajima, Ishikawa)
Sustainable innovations demonstrated at the awards
*Finger food made by Sugiura chef
1) Served dishes with plant-based food
The event featured plant-based finger foods prepared by Hitoshi Sugiura, executive chef of ONODERA GROUP (Chiyoda, Tokyo), who was appointed as an advisor chef for SRA-J’s FOOD MADE GOOD project. The finger foods included salad with plant-based cheese produced by FMI (Minato-ku, Tokyo), a company that sells kitchen cooking equipment, and sweets made with chocolate from Valrhona Japon, which has obtained the B Corporation certification for sustainable companies.
2) Reusable chopsticks / Made with carefully considered materials
Bo Project. produces high-quality, high-value-added chopsticks for business use around the world through an integrated process from material Sourcing to planning and development.
With their mission statement, “Change common sense with chopsticks and create common sense for the future,” Bo Project is contributing to the sustainable development of society by creating eating styles for the people around the world and a better common sense for the future through its chopstick product service. For the awards, they provided reusable and colourful Suri-Urushi chopsticks for eating at the venue and for a takeaway as a souvenir
*Bo Project. chopsticks
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