Actions towards Nutrition

JAL is implementing a variety of initiatives based on the basic concept of "delicious, healthy, and sustainable meals" to ensure that our customers enjoy their travel in a healthy way.

In-flight and lounge meals are planned and reviewed by relevant internal departments in cooperation with outside chefs, JAL Royal Catering chefs, nutritionists, and other experts, as well as by collecting and analyzing customer feedback. We also offer special in-flight meals for passengers with allergies or health concerns.

The policy of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare^*1, overseas trends^*2, and the Nutrition Declaration of the Tokyo Nutrition Summit 2021 held in December 2021^*3 were used as references.We participate in the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's "Healthy and Sustainable Food Environment Strategy Initiative^*4", and we are taking into account the negative impact of food on health and access to better nutrition in our JAL initiatives.

*1 A report published by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (June 30, 2021), "The committee meeting on the promotion of a healthy and sustainable food environment,".This page will open in a new window.The report identifies "excessive salt intake" and "unbalanced nutrition among young women" as important nutritional issues.

*2 The EU's "Farm to Fork" strategyThis page will open in a new window. aims to promote a shift to a plant-based diet rich in fruits and vegetables, as it is important to turn the rise in obesity rates into a negative trend.

*3 The Tokyo Nutrition Declaration of the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit 2021 (Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit 2021), which was held in December 2021, emphasizes the importance of promoting healthy eating and building sustainable food systems.

*4 An initiative established by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) to promote a food environment where everyone can be naturally healthy through collaboration among industry, academia and government.

For over-the-counter products, the hygiene management department checks in advance that nutrition and health promotion information on labels and pop-ups is appropriate and in compliance with laws and regulations, and provides education on labeling to airport and lounge staff.

We are committed to the following four initiatives to improve our health impact, access to better nutrition, and sustainable eating. We will disclose necessary information to our customers, further expand our initiatives, and disclose our progress as appropriate.

It is said that Japanese people consume excessive amount of salt, and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has stated that this is an issue that needs to be addressed as a priority.

JAL will gradually introduce food products with reduced-sodium specifications on all international flights departing from Japan and at lounges in Japan starting in fiscal 2022, and will complete the introduction of such products by the end of fiscal 2023^*5。

In addition, with regard to excessive calories^*6, which is one of the causes of lifestyle-related diseases, JAL will study and prepare to expand the menu offerings^*7 and introduce new menu items by fiscal 2030 that use plant-derived meat substitutes, which are considered to be low in calories.

*5 We will switch meals that are considered to be particularly high in salt (miso soup, soup, pickles, etc.) to low-sodium products.

*6 Although nutrition labeling is not required by law for in-flight meals, JAL has established labeling standards and displays calories on menu cards for in-flight meals departing from Japan. In the future, we will also display reduced-sodium labels for salt.

*7 We currently serve Beyond Meat's Beyond Burger in First Class on all routes departing from the Americas.

Recently, it has been pointed out that young women are not consuming enough vegetables, etc. JAL offers a healthy menu centered on vegetables rich in vitamins, potassium, calcium, etc. in its first and business class on flights from Japan to Europe and the United States^*8。

This initiative is based on the theme of "healthy menus that are delicious and can be eaten up." By using ingredients with high nutritional value and passengers finishing the meal, we aim to provide them with the nutrition they need and also reduce food waste.

In the future, we will offer menus that incorporate ingredients from the "50 Ingredients of the Future" list in all classes on international long-haul flights departing from Japan by the end of fiscal 2022.
In addition, we will introduce these ingredients in salads and other dishes at lounges in the Japan region on international flights.

*8 Nutritious ingredients (vegetables, seaweed, etc.) are selected from the "Future 50 foods reportThis page will open in a new window.", which Unilever advocates together with WWF in the UK, and a variety of recipes are developed and provided.

In July 2021, we launched the "Sky Wellness Kitchen for Your Body" initiative with TANITA Corporation to encourage customers to take an even greater interest in their health by offering not only nutritional support but also suggestions for improving their diet and lifestyle habits.

Under this initiative, we have developed original menus that incorporate elements of chewing and immunity, provided leaflets that introduce Tanita's original stretching exercises, and broadcast videos of exercises that can be performed in-flight.

With advice from TANITA, we will continue to promote health awareness on all international flights.

In support of the aims of the United Nations Food Systems Summit held in September 2021 to achieve the SDGs, JAL is taking various "food sustainability" initiatives, such as proactively adopting sustainable certified food ingredients (use of certified products), reducing food waste, adopting "Foods for the Future 50 and alternative meats.

We believe it is important to let our customers know about our sustainable food initiatives, and we are already using external media such as menu cards and our website. We will continue to actively communicate our efforts to achieve sustainable food in the future.