- Material issues
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Securing safe, reliable food
- How we address the issue
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We will ensure the safety and reliability of our products to give our customers a greater range of dietary options and to build a sustainable system of production.
- Related SDGs
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- Material issues
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Recommending health-conscious products
- How we address the issue
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We will innovate in the field of healthy and wholesome food to produce health-focused foods that help our customers build a better and more nutritious diet.
- Related SDGs
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- Material issues
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Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
- How we address the issue
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We will work toward reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions, with medium- and long-term time horizons. As part of this effort, we will use efficient and green energy.
- Related SDGs
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- Material issues
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Reducing the volume of waste output
- How we address the issue
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To reduce food loss, we will reduce food waste and recycle more of it. To prevent ocean plastic pollution, we will reduce plastic waste.
- Related SDGs
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- Material issues
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Reducing water usage
- How we address the issue
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Recognizing the scale of the global water crisis, we will make our water usage more sustainable by using less water.
- Related SDGs
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- Material issues
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Reducing plastic usage
- How we address the issue
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Working toward a circular economy, we will generate less plastic waste and use less plastic in our products.
- Related SDGs
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- Material issues
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Safeguarding biodiversity
- How we address the issue
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To minimize negative impacts on biodiversity such as biodiversity loss and destruction of ecosystems, we will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, use less water, and generate less waste.
- Related SDGs
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- Material issues
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Achieving sustainable procurement of raw materials
- How we address the issue
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We will procure raw materials and animal feed from sources in multiple countries, act with fairness and integrity in our dealings with suppliers, and consider environmental sustainability in our procurement activities.
- Related SDGs
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- Material issues
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Addressing animal welfare
- How we address the issue
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We will safeguard animal welfare in our hog farming business and other operations that involve livestock.
- Related SDGs
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- Material issues
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Respecting and promoting diverse workstyles
- How we address the issue
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We will respect and value every employee by providing a workplace environment that is inclusive and engaging.
- Related SDGs
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- Material issues
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Hiring and developing outstanding human resources
- How we address the issue
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We will unleash employees’ full potential so that they can contribute to society through their job.
- Related SDGs
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- Material issues
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Occupational health and safety that focuses on mental and physical health
- How we address the issue
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We will take measures to safeguard employee health in the course of their business activities to provide a workplace environment in which employees feel mentally and physically well.
- Related SDGs
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- Material issues
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Strengthening corporate governance
- How we address the issue
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We will build structures that encourage transparency and sustainable corporate development. With such structures, we will act with integrity in our decision-making and business practices and contribute to the development of our industry.
- Related SDGs
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Process for specifying material issues
To achieve sustainable growth as a company, we must analyze the major risks and opportunities that will affect growth of the Group from the perspective of ESG. We must then develop strategies to address these risks and opportunities with a long-term perspective. With this in mind, we developed a business strategy and specified the strategic priorities.

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Step 1Identify and categorize social issues
We examined the criteria that external ratings bodies use when evaluating a company’s ESG performance. These included the sustainability standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), and the MSCI (a leading rating agency for sustainable investments). We identified 38 issues (a total of 164 items) that featured in all three sources and that also seemed relevant to our stakeholders. We then examined these issues further to identify those that matter the most to our businesses. As a result, we selected the 23 issues to refine the shortlist.
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Step 2Survey internal divisions
To determine how much the issues matter to stakeholders, we polled 12 internal divisions that have a high level of stakeholder engagement. Their responses highlighted certain topics that frequently arise in stakeholder dialogue and are thus important to stakeholders. To determine how much the issues matter to us, we evaluated their relevance to our strategy and business activities as well as the opportunities and risks they present.
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Step 3Determine relative priority of issues
We plotted the issues onto a matrix. In this matrix, the vertical axis indicated how much the issue matters to stakeholders and the horizontal axis indicated how much it matters to us. The issues that mattered the most to both stakeholders and to us included reduction of carbon emissions, conformance with animal welfare standards (an issue of increasing global concern), sustainable procurement, and development of health-oriented products. We provisionally defined these as material issues.
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Step 4Review by president and experts
President Naoto Chiba reviewed the results and rated each issue for its suitability as a material issue. Next, members of an expert panel and a taskforce debated the selected issues in light of the latest trends. As a result of these two review processes, and with the approval of the Executive Council, we settled on 10 material issues in five categories.
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Step 5Updating the set of material issues
We finalized the set of material issues in September 2020. In fiscal 2023, the Sustainability Committee considered the changes in socio-environmental conditions that had occurred in the years since 2020. The committee also considered feedback from stakeholders and experts. Ultimately, we decided to add three more material issues, bringing the total to 13: reducing water usage, reducing plastic usage, and safeguarding biodiversity. The set of material issues may be updated again in the future as necessary.