Kyodo Meito Dole Fruit Yogurt

I have mentioned previously that Dole goes through Snow Brand MegMilk for its fruit juices, but for Dole branded fruit yogurt, it goes through Kyodo Milk Industry (whose brand is Meito).

http://www.meito.co.jp/products/cat2/000151.html

Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.

Lotte Ghana Hot Chocolate

At the end of the month, Lotte will introduce two new hot chocolate extensions of their Ghana chocolate line. One of these will be brandy flavored and the other rum flavored.

http://www.lotte.co.jp/products/brand/ghana/top.html

Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.

Mister Donut Allergy Notification

In recent years, allergy notices on foods have become much more prominent all around the world and Japan is no exception. Probably one of the most visible places I have seen is at Mister Donut, probably due to the highly processed nature of the products it can be hard to know exactly what they contain. The notices in stores are right next to each donut variety, so they are hard to miss. If you go on the website there is even more detailed information which might be of interest. There is a long list of products and I only included the top few as I was more interested in the types of allergy worthy of inclusion.
The first 7 categories are required to be displayed by law (特定原材料):
wheat, soba, egg, milk, peanuts, shrimp, crab (小麦、そば、卵、乳、落花生、えび、かに)
The second set of 18 categories are not required by law (特定原材料に準ざるもの):
beef, pork, chicken, gelatin, soy bean, abalone, squid, salmon roe, salmon, mackerel, orange, kiwi, walnut, matsutake mushroom, peach, Japanese yam, apple, banana （牛肉、豚肉、鶏肉、ゼラチン、大豆、あわび、いか、いくら、さけ、さば、オレンジ、キウイ、くるみ、まつたけ、もも、やまいも、りんご、ばなな）

http://www.misterdonut.jp/m_menu/eiyou/index.html

Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.

Takanashi LGG

Takanashi sells LGG products in Japan. LGG is a probiotic ingredient from Finland, but the name of the ingredient often ends up being used in a manner very similar to a well known brand. 高梨乳業

http://www.takanashi-milk.co.jp/products/lgg/

Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.

Asahi Orion Southern Star Beer

Orion Beer, the Okinawan beer brand which is now a subsidiary of Asahi, has introduced a new 2nd category beer called Southern Star, which promises a new taste born in Okinawa. The small print states that the product will be sold nationwide - except Okinawa and Kagoshima - which is sort of odd.

http://www.asahibeer.co.jp/products/beer/southern_star/

Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.

Lotte Choco Pie 30th Anniversary

Lotte is celebrating the 30th Anniversary of their Choco Pie with a special cocoa cream filled, bitter chocolate cake version.

http://www.lotte-chocopie.com/

Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.

Mister Donut Halloween Snoopy Box

Mister Donut is an official sponsor of Universal Studios in Osaka, which among other properties features Peanuts characters. Mister Donut is selling special box sets which include the Halloween donuts mentioned yesterday, a Snoopy doll and a chance to win free tickets to Universal Studios. A piece of paper with a special code comes in each box and must be checked on a special website to determine the winners.

http://www.misterdonut.jp/m_menu/new/121001_001/snoopy.html

Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.

Ajinomoto Knorr

Knorr is a special case in that not only is it sold by Ajinomoto in Japan, but Ajinomoto owns the rights in Japan. Elsewhere in the world, Knorr is a Unilever brand. 味の素、クノール

http://knorr-club.jp/

Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.

Asahi Winter Gift Beer

Asahi is offering a seasonal beer (2nd category) which features European hops and partially crystal malts. アサヒ、冬の贈り物

http://www.asahibeer.co.jp/fuyuno-okurimono/

Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.

Lotte Halloween Choco Pie

Lotte is selling a Halloween version of its Choco Pie (which is similar to what Americans know as a moon pie). The package says there is a secret flavor sprinkled by a witch, that can be found on a special webpage. Spoiler alert! - - answer - - sweet honey. Not sure if a flavor spinkled by a witch would go over well in the US bible belt, but it is no problem here.

http://www.lotte.co.jp/products/brand/halloween/

Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.