External Inspections by Third Parties

Initiatives

Strengthening the Hygiene Management System

Following the full enforcement of HACCP*1-based hygiene management in June 2021, the Group has adopted hygiene management based on HACCP principles at our stores. This includes creating hygiene management plans, conducting external audits by third-party organizations, and regularly verifying hygiene management conditions.
In our Group factories, we ensure that all stages of the supply chain adhere to strict hygiene management based on HACCP principles to maintain and improve food safety. As a result, all factories under Japan Fresh Co., Ltd. have obtained "FSSC 22000 certification", and all factories of COLOWIDE MD Co., Ltd. and M.Y. Foods Co., Ltd. have obtained "JFS-B certification^*2", making all Group factories compliant with food safety certification standards.
Furthermore, at the headquarters cafeteria of The Bank of Yokohama, Ltd., where the Group operates catering service, we have obtained "certification under the JFS Standard (Food Service) Sector G^*3" for food service providers. Across the entire Group, we are committed to strengthening and maintaining our hygiene management systems to keep providing food safety and security.

^*1 HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) – A hygiene management method aimed at ensuring food safety by managing hazards such as foodborne pathogens and foreign material contamination.
^*2 JFS-B Certification – A certification for food safety management initiatives developed and operated by the Japan Food Safety Management Association (JFS). This certification applies to food processing, food manufacturing, and food additives or chemical manufacturing businesses. Third-party organizations audit whether these businesses implement safety management according to set requirements, and whether they have established and are operating a management system suitable for producing safe food for consumers.
https://www.jfsm.or.jp/scheme/whatisjfs/
^*3 JFS Standard (Food Service) Sector G: A certification system established by the Japan Food Safety Management Association. It is a standard for food service businesses in Japan, such as restaurants, prepared meals, and catering, in response to the institutionalization of HACCP. The standard aims to improve efforts by food service providers to offer safe meals and other food products.
https://www.jfsm.or.jp/scheme/documents/

Enhancement of Inspection Capabilities

In line with our commitment to providing food safety and reliability, we are focusing on measures to prevent foreign object contamination in food products.
We have completed the installation of either metal detectors or X-ray foreign object detectors in all domestic factories across the Group. Notably, COLOWIDE MD, which oversees the Group's merchandising, has installed both metal detectors and X-ray foreign object detectors at its key Central Kitchens in Kanagawa and Nagahama, along with a food radiation measurement system. In addition, we require all products to pass either metal detection or X-ray foreign object detection tests before shipment, as part of our ongoing efforts to prevent contamination. Furthermore, vegetables and other raw materials are tested for residual pesticides under the positive list system, and for imported products, we conduct individual inspections prior to procurement, continuing to strengthen our inspection functions.