Press release of FOOD & LIFE COMPANIES Co., Ltd. (2024.09.27) FOOD & LIFE COMPANIES Co., Ltd. Through agricultural experiences, students learn about gratitude towards producers and the importance of food. We held a rice-planting and rice-harvesting experience tour in a rice field that grows rice exclusively for Sushiro. https://www.food-and-life.co.jp/
activities, we held the “Sushiro Rice Planting and Harvesting Experience Tour” for our loyal customers. This event has been held since 2015 as an initiative to help children develop a sense of gratitude towards producers and the importance of food through an agricultural experience in a rice field where “Sushiro rice” is grown. A total of 176 people participated in the entire tour, making it a very successful event. We will continue to deepen our interactions with local residents by providing nutritional education opportunities like this. In addition, we plan to provide the rice we harvested at Sushiro in the future. ■Rice planting
Sushiro rice rice planting experience tour Held at two locations: April 27, 2024 (Saturday) in Shiga Prefecture and May 18, 2024 (Saturday) in Chiba Prefecture.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/49164/585/49164-585-efaa2ac39f947e5a4845ea5232bc9874-1006×648.jpg It is a tense moment for many children entering the rice fields for the first time. Let’s do our best in rice planting!
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/49164/585/49164-585-e1c5ff16dd04dffea1170bb5091d57a6-1486×927.jpg We will carefully plant the seedlings.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/49164/585/49164-585-887625ad78aee2b637c955c727ba7e9f-1455×921.jpg After lunch, there was a fun quiz competition with questions about rice. Participants’ comments “I had a lot of fun and had a valuable experience that I wouldn’t normally have!” “It was my first rice planting experience, but I was able to enjoy planting thanks to the kind instructions.” ■Rice harvesting Sushiro rice rice harvesting experience tour Saturday, September 21, 2024 Hyogo Prefecture
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/49164/585/49164-585-31bd38b2cee98747a0e95f2a8442b520-3900×2395.jpg
This is a group photo. A large number of people participated. Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/49164/585/49164-585-f244ef7e3469251f329172214dbf6a6c-3900×2471.jpg First rice harvesting experience using a sickle,
Even the producers were surprised to see everyone’s progress.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/49164/585/49164-585-55b83422058801f59584049810e1e254-3900×2434.jpg After the rice harvest, students learned about the importance of rice and food through quizzes and classroom lectures, and at the end, a ceremony was held to award the Sushiro doctor’s certificate, and commemorative gifts were also presented. I did it. Participants’ comments “The employees were kind and interesting, and I wanted to come back again. I was glad that the food education content was so fulfilling.” “Thank you very much for letting me participate in this rice harvesting experience tour. It was a memory that will last a lifetime.” ■Rice planting Summary of “Sushiro Rice Rice Planting Experience Tour” ・Date, time, location: April 27, 2024 (Saturday) in Shiga Prefecture / May 18, 2024 (Saturday) in Chiba Prefecture, held at two locations ・Participants: Shiga Prefecture, 63 people in 20 groups Chiba Prefecture, 58 people in 18 groups *Lottery will be drawn from advance applications from Sushiro’s official LINE account ・Sushiro rice variety: Shiga prefecture, Lake 65 / Chiba prefecture, Fusakogane ・Contents: Rice planting experience, lunch, classroom lectures (rice quiz, etc.), presentation of Sushiro doctor’s certificate
・Cooperation: Sushiro Rice Producers, Shiga Gamo Town Agricultural Cooperative, National Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives Shiga Prefectural Headquarters, Kimitsu City Agricultural Cooperative, Chiba Prefectural Headquarters of National Agricultural Cooperative, Futtsu City Hall, Zen-Noh Pearl Rice Co., Ltd. ■Rice
harvesting Summary of “Sushiro Rice Rice Harvesting Experience Tour” ・Date, time, location: Saturday, September 21, 2024, Hyogo Prefecture ・Participants: 19 groups, 57 people *Lottery will be drawn from pre-applications from Sushiro’s official LINE account ・Sushiro rice variety: Dontokoi ・Contents: Rice harvesting experience, lunch, classroom lectures (rice quiz, etc.), Sushiro doctor certificate gift ・Cooperation: Sushiro Rice Producers, Hyogo Mirai Agricultural Cooperative, National Agricultural Cooperative Federation Hyogo Prefectural Headquarters, National Agricultural Cooperative, Zen-Noh Pearl Rice Co., Ltd. [What is sushiro rice] The life of sushi is Shari. We believe that sushi rice is another key ingredient in sushi. Since 2011, “Sushiro” has been working with the production area to harvest “special rice for Sushiro” with the full cooperation of Zen-Noh Pearl Rice Co., Ltd. Approximately 20,000 tons of rice is used annually in stores nationwide, and the rice grown in these dedicated rice fields accounts for approximately 40% of the rice used by Sushiro as a whole (as of February 2024). We plan to further collaborate with various production areas. Rice is an agricultural crop, and its taste and yield vary depending on the weather that year. By having specific production areas and producers produce varieties that are suitable for sushi rice and can be expected to yield stable yields, Sushiro is able to provide its ideal sushi rice every day. For the past few years, we have been working on developing sushi rice to create even more delicious sushi rice, while continuing to communicate directly with producers. We would like to continue collaborating with various production areas and continue to harvest “rice exclusively used for sushiro.” Please check the sustainability initiatives of FOOD & LIFE COMPANIES below.
https://www.food-and-life.co.jp/sustainability/