Amid growing interest in food safety and security, Japan revised its Food Sanitation Act in June 2018, requiring all food management operators to carry out food hygiene management according to HACCP principles in the interests of food safety and growing globalization. In addition, businesses that handle a wide range of products also have a responsibility to properly and clearly display information for customers that explains the contents and handling of products and services.
When launching the Famimaru brand, we established a brand strategy group within its Merchandising Division and reorganized the rules for how to communicate product features to customers.
FamilyMart is also committed to thorough quality control throughout the entire supply chain, placing utmost priority on providing safe and secure products. For ready-to-eat products, FamilyMart has its own quality control standards and works to enhance quality control and ensure traceability in all processes. In addition to properly labeling product and service information in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, FamilyMart also engages in consumer education activities and responsible marketing.
We will continue to strengthen communication with our raw material suppliers, ready-to-eat meal product suppliers and logistics contractors, while also ensuring thorough food hygiene management at our stores.
For its supply chain, FamilyMart has established the sustainable procurement principles, which call for conservation of biodiversity and natural resources, compliance with laws and social norms, respect for human rights, prohibition of discrimination, and protection of labor, health and safety. We have also established Sustainability Action Guidelines for Supply Chain. By implementing these as a unified policy for all our business partners, we are working to reduce risks and give consideration to the impacts on society and the environment.
The raw materials used in FamilyMart ready-to-eat products have already passed screening before they are supplied to the companies that manufacture them for us. Each time one of our ready-to-eat product suppliers receive a shipment of raw materials, they conduct an acceptance inspection.
Inspections of factories that supply raw material are done by Japan Food Supply, a group company of ITOCHU Corporation, and only raw materials from factories that pass the examination are used.
In product development and improvement as well, we assess ingredients based on quality and hygiene control standards and conduct factory audits for some 60 items that are largely focused on quality and hygiene control, including waste and wastewater conditions. We only provide ingredients meeting these standards to ready-to-eat product suppliers.
In addition, we use vegetables from vegetable plant factories, which are free from pesticides and harmful bacteria and insects. Since vegetable plant factories can provide a stable supply regardless of weather conditions, we promote procurement from them.
FamilyMart recognizes its social responsibility to work toward the realization of a sustainable society, including the preservation of the global environment and protection of human rights, in its business activities.
To this end, we promote business activities based on the spirit of mutual development (CO-GROWING) in accordance with fair rules with producers and business partners, and work on the following items while achieving sustainable growth together.
Established February 2018
Established February 2018
Revised June 2023
FamilyMart’s ready-to-eat products are made at about 80 production plants. All our suppliers affiliated with the Nippon Fresh Foods Cooperative Association (NFF) have in place a HACCP-based hygiene management system such as Japan Food Safety Management Association certification according to JFS-B standards, or higher. In addition, our Quality Control Department performs plant inspections on all applicable plants.
Plant inspections primarily check quality and hygiene control. To survey quality control and encourage improvement, third-party audits are also conducted twice a year.
If plant inspection reveals non-conformance with standards or other problems, plants are required to make improvements and take corrective measures.
Weekly meetings are also held to ensure product quality. Here we confirm new products and conduct spot-checks of products already at stores.
Logistics centers practice comprehensive temperature control by separating food ingredients and products into temperature zones such as fixed temperature, chilled, room temperature and frozen.
In addition, a logistics management company regularly inspects our centers to ensure safety management and develop and operate a logistics network in preparation for earthquakes and other disasters.
Lunch boxes and chilled products are delivered to stores three times a day in order to ensure freshness at all times. Delivery vehicles have two compartments, one kept at a fixed temperature and the other at a chilled temperature. There are also freezer vehicles and normal temperature delivery vehicles. This allows us to offer speedy and efficient delivery while maintaining quality.
Our stores have always been committed to providing delicious, safe, and reliable quality products, and store staff are instructed on matters of quality control and food hygiene, including practicing frequent hand washing and cleaning to prevent food poisoning, as well as temperature control for display fixtures and other items to maintain freshness.
Particularly in the case of ready-to-eat products, we check the sell-by date four times a day.
To comply with hygiene management in line with the HACCP mandate, FamilyMart stores use the Japan Franchise Association’s guidebook for planning hygiene control for basic cooking at convenience stores. Through operations in line with these guidelines, we are practicing efficient, consistent food safety measures in line with the characteristics of convenience stores.
Just like quality control, proper product labeling and promotional labeling are important for marketing in order to provide safe and secure products and services. As a retailer, FamilyMart conducts regular in-house education (e-learning) on labeling for the relevant departments to ensure we are thoroughly compliant with the Food Labeling Act and other related laws and regulations that govern manufacturers and processors of food products.
A primary check is carried out by the Merchandising Development Department to prevent product labeling that could mislead consumers or violate registered trademarks or laws and regulations such as the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations. Additionally, the Legal Department and the Quality Control Department also conduct secondary checks for the same reasons. In this way, we strengthen our in-house monitoring system.
We have also included a guidance page in the store operation manual on the creation of in-store promotional materials and educate store staff in order to avoid misunderstandings or displayed content that conflicts with laws and regulations. In order to accommodate foreign visitors to Japan, we also promote product labeling in accordance with the Guide to Multilingual Support for Retailers from the JAPAN RETAILERS ASSOCIATION, of which we are a member.