At the time we first started our JUNWAKEI Chicken business, when we talked about JUNWAKEI Chicken to the wholesalers, they just tilted their heads and asked, "What's the difference between domestic and jidori chicken?" I had no choice but to explain to them one by one about the differences in production areas and the difficulties of chicken farming.

Hamasaki, who joined Nichirei Fresh the same year the JUNWAKEI Chicken brand was launched, has worked with the growth of the JUNWAKEI Chicken brand. He says that he went through a lot of trial and error as he sold JUNWAKEI Chicken to supermarkets, retailers, and co-ops in the Kansai area, trying to figure out how to make people aware of the appeal of the JUNWAKEI Chicken brand.

However, the most attractive thing about JUNWAKEI Chicken is its deliciousness.

The taste of JUNWAKEI Chicken is unique. I was shocked when I tasted it for the first time. I thought that if I could offer the most delicious way to eat, the staff in charge of each store would be convinced.

Kitagawa, who was in charge of product planning, recalls. In fact, when visiting supermarkets and retail stores, our sales representatives cook the chicken themselves to show them how delicious it is.

Kitagawa is a great lover of cooking. This has paid off, as he has found the appropriate cooking method for each part of the product and has taught sales staff how to cook it. At times, he even cooked tastings for customer presentations.

Thanks to the efforts of our sales staff and the response to the JAS certification for special characteristics obtained through the "Feed Rice Project," the number of projects adopting JUNWAKEI Chicken gradually increased.

Nichirei Fresh's challenge was to obtain domestic and international certifications, objective proof of "deliciousness," so to speak.

One was Japan Food Selection, Japan's first food and foodstuff evaluation system. Food analysts, professionals who can provide comprehensive information on ingredients, restaurants, food culture, and food trends, evaluate not only the taste itself, but also whether it takes into account the delicate Japanese taste, preference, sensitivity, and food culture, and whether the branding is appropriate.

In 2020, JUNWAKEI Chicken was entered for the first time.

And the result was... the Grand Prix, the highest award.

There have been few cases of chicken winning the Grand Prix, and the judges gave many groundbreaking evaluations, such as a gem that will change the image of chicken.

The other is certification by the International Taste Institute (ITI), an organization that evaluates and certifies the taste of food and beverage products around the world. The judges are well-known chefs and sommeliers from the European Association of Chefs and Sommeliers, who evaluate the taste of the products by conducting a sensory evaluation blindfolded.

Nichirei Fresh brought the chicken to Belgium, where the judging was held, to undergo sensory evaluation.

As a result, Nichirei Fresh received the "3-star" award, the highest award for excellence in taste, for its chicken breast meat. The overall score was a high 92.5 out of 100.

Furthermore, following the first award in 2021, the product also received the "Three-Star" award in 2022 and 2023 consecutively, and also won the Crystal Taste Award, which is eligible for three consecutive "Three-Star" awards.

JUNWAKEI Chicken was recognized both domestically and internationally. Kitagawa, who was involved in product planning, recalls his excitement at that time.

JUNWAKEI Chicken was born for the Japanese dining table and was highly acclaimed around the world. What was it about the chicken that made the world's top food experts appreciate it so much?

One of the points that both JAPAN FOOD SELECTION and ITI highly evaluated was the chewiness of JUNWAKEI Chicken. Let's compare the muscle fibers of JUNWAKEI Chicken with those of commonly distributed broilers.

Both the broiler and the JUNWAKEI Chicken were photographed at the same scale.
You can see that JUNWAKEI Chicken has more finely defined muscles.

However, JUNWAKEI Chicken had a hidden charm that even the employees at the time of its launch did not know.

In fact, as a result of analysis and research conducted within Nichirei Fresh, it was found that the content of "imidazole dipeptide," a fatigue-relieving substance, is 1.5 times higher in JUNWAKEI Chicken than in ordinary meat.

This "imidazole dipeptide" exists in the bodies of humans and animals and has been reported to have the function of reducing temporary fatigue. In particular, "imidazole dipeptide" is abundant in the bodies of migratory birds that fly for tens of thousands of kilometers and tuna that swim constantly. When consumed as food, it has been confirmed that it accumulates in muscles and improves exercise performance.

The JUNWAKEI Chicken meat was notified as a food with functional claims on October 14, 2022, and the thigh meat on February 17, 2023.

JUNWAKEI Chicken which has received three endorsements - JAS certification for its special characteristics, the Grand Prix at the "JAPAN FOOD SELECTION," and three stars at the ITI - and a major crown as a food with functional claims, is now attracting interest from suppliers who have had difficulty in deciding to adopt the product.

Currently, JUNWAKEI Chicken can be found in supermarkets mainly in the Kanto region under the names JUNWAKEI Chicken and "Junwa Akadori Chicken.

Since the outbreak of avian influenza was first confirmed in 2004, mainly in Asia, the outbreak has been gaining momentum every year, and the risk of import suspensions of parent chickens and feed is imminent.

Hamasaki said," When I first heard about the JUNWAKEI Chicken project, I couldn't imagine a world in which imports would be suspended because of the spread of the disease overseas. But nowadays, bird flu is an annual epidemic in Japan. I believe that Nichirei Fresh's challenge to cultivate the disease hand in hand with the local community, with an eye on the future of the times, will bring great value to Japanese dining tables."

The company is committed to three goals: "good taste," "health," "stable supply of chicken meat," and "sustainability of the local community.
With no experience in poultry farming, JUNWAKEI Chicken was a challenge from the very beginning, and has created various values along the way.

Nichirei Fresh will continue to deliver products that preserve Japan's food culture, while keeping in mind everyone who comes into contact with our products and the production areas.

See also Part 1!