Asahi Group Foods Co., Ltd. Officially started creating the “Vietnamese Weaning Practical Guide”

[Asahi Group Foods Co., Ltd.] Officially begins creation of
“Vietnamese weaning practice guide”
​ Asahi Group Foods Co., Ltd. Press release: September 27, 2024 Officially started the creation of “Vietnamese weaning practice guide” Concluded contract to support guide creation with Vietnam National Institute of Nutrition Asahi Group Foods Co., Ltd. (Headquarters Tokyo, President Hiroshi Kawahara) will conclude an agreement with the National Institute of Nutrition of Vietnam to support the creation of the “Vietnamese Weaning Practical Guide” on September 28th. A signing ceremony will be held on September 28th at the “Japan-Vietnam Joint Symposium on Improving Weaning Practices for Vietnamese Infants in The First 1,000 Days*” to be held in Hanoi, Vietnam. Since July 2023, Asahi Group Foods has been collaborating with Vietnam’s industry, government, and academia as part of the “JICA Small and Medium Enterprises/SDGs Business Support Project” and has been working on a “demonstration project to turn the First 1,000 Days* maternal and child health improvement business into a business in Vietnam.” Masu. We have conducted an empirical survey on the actual situation of baby food in Vietnam and the acceptability of Japanese baby food, and based on the issues and knowledge obtained from this, the Ministry of Health of Vietnam has officially published the “Vietnamese Weaning Practice Guide”. We plan to create a system and promote its dissemination through collaboration between industry, government, and academia in Vietnam and Japan. The “Vietnamese Weaning Practical Guide” uses Japan’s “Breastfeeding and Weaning Support Guide” as a reference and summarizes how to proceed with weaning food and how to support caregivers in accordance with WHO and UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) guidelines. , aiming for completion in 2025. Once completed, the plan is to provide training for health care workers and to disseminate it within Vietnam by providing support with weaning food to caregivers at health centers in each region. Additionally, we will expand sales channels for Wakodo brand baby food, which we have been testing selling since April 2024, and officially begin export sales from October. *WHO estimates that the 1,000-day period, which includes approximately 270 days from conception to birth and 730 days from birth to the child’s 2nd birthday, is an important period because nutrition and environment have a significant impact on future health. I am. ■About the survey on the actual situation of baby food in Vietnam In July 2024, 100 caregivers of healthy infants aged 5 to 18 months living in Ho Chi Minh City were interviewed at the nutrition counseling center (Nutrihome) attached to Vietnam Vaccine JSC (VNVC), the largest private vaccination center in Vietnam. Doctors and nutritionists provided baby food guidance to caregivers using baby food and leaflets on how to proceed with weaning according to the Japanese Breastfeeding and Weaning Support Guide. After the guidance, we conducted a questionnaire survey and interviews with doctors, nutritionists, and caregivers regarding their evaluation of the Japanese-style baby food guidance. It was confirmed that there are large individual differences in the progress of weaning (number of times and cooking style), and that caregivers have many concerns about how to proceed with weaning. The leaflet used this time has been shown to be highly convincing and useful for both caregivers, doctors, and nutritionists in learning how to proceed with appropriate weaning. Baby food was also rated as useful in demonstrating appropriate cooking methods. Asahi Group Foods, VNVC, and Nutrihome have agreed to continue to cooperate in raising awareness about appropriate baby food and selling baby food, and a signing ceremony will be held during this symposium. ■About demonstration experiments such as acceptability of Japanese baby food From April to July 2024, we will test sell Wakodo brand baby food sold in Japan at 5 Japanese supermarkets, Aeon Vietnam, EC sites, baby products specialty stores, etc., for a total of 23 items. did. Additionally, we conducted a home use test of baby food on 600 infants and their caregivers aged 7 to 23 months living in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Home use tests confirmed over 97% completion rate and satisfaction, and received high marks for taste, richness of ingredients, hardness and size of ingredients, and convenience. We also did some research on appropriate pricing. Based on the results of the test sales, we will expand our sales channels in Vietnam and officially launch the product in October 2024. [Symposium overview] ■Name: Japan-Vietnam joint symposium on improving baby food practices for Vietnamese infants in The First 1,000 days ■Date and time: Saturday, September 28, 2024 8:30-14:30 ■Venue: Hotel du parc Hanoi ■Lecture content: Performer/Affiliation/Title ・TS. Nguyen Duy Son / Vietnam National Institute of Nutrition / Current status of infant nutrition and diet in Vietnam ・Dr.Pham Do Uyen/Nutrihome/About the practice of Japanese-style weaning guidance in Vietnam ・Katsuaki Ishii Sachiko Masuda / Asahi Group Foods / The actual situation of baby food in Vietnam and the acceptability of Japanese-style baby food ・Phuong Huynh MD M.Sc, PhD/Vietnam National Institute of Nutrition/Creation and dissemination plan of weaning practice guide in Vietnam ・Chiharu Tsutsumi / Sagami Women’s University / How to proceed with weaning food and the concept of support for caregivers in Japan’s
“Breastfeeding and Weaning Support Guide” The second symposium will be held with the aim of deepening the understanding of those involved in preparation for the creation of the “Vietnamese Practical Guide to Weaning.” On the Vietnamese side, experts in pediatrics and obstetrics and gynecology from the Vietnam Ministry of Health, the Vietnamese Academy of Pediatrics, the Vietnam Nutrition Society, and the Vietnam National Institute of Nutrition, as well as baby food retailers, and on the Japanese side, representatives from the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam. Approximately 120 people in total are scheduled to
participate, including representatives from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Aeon Vietnam, and Asahi Group Foods. The “First 1,000 Days Maternal and Child Health Improvement Business Demonstration Project in Vietnam” aims to improve the health of pregnant women and infants by disseminating knowledge of appropriate meals and nutrition to healthcare workers and caregivers in Vietnam. We aim to grow our business in Vietnam by contributing to healthy growth and developing appropriate baby food products in the future.