How Japan’s 2025 Food Hit Awards Highlight the Rise of Convenient and Healthy Products

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[RealFood=Yook Seong-yeon] The Japanese Food Journal has announced the winners of its 44th Food Hit Awards for 2025. Each year, a separate selection committee highlights the previous year’s biggest hits in the food industry and hands out awards.

According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT)’s agricultural and food export information (KATI), the awards are organized into the Food Hit Grand Prize; Excellence Hit Awards across four categories (general processed foods, alcohol, refrigerated/frozen foods, and snacks/bakery); and the Long Seller Award. This year no Food Hit Grand Prize was selected. Instead, the panel chose 23 products for Excellence Hit Awards and five for Long Seller Awards.

Last year, Japanese consumers bought products based on time savings and convenience, health and functionality, brand trust, and enjoyment.

Rising rice prices, a staple, increased demand for time-saving, convenient items and for smaller portions that still satisfy. For processed foods, easy prep methods—like pan-frying or microwaving—proved especially popular with two-income households and older adults.

The Excellence Hit Award (Beverages) went to Pokka Sapporo Food & Beverage’s Kireto Lemon Citric Acid series. These products are registered as functional foods with Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency; the active ingredient is citric acid from lemon, which the maker says helps relieve temporary fatigue in daily life or after exercise.

The Excellence Hit Award (Convenience Cooking Foods) went to Nisshin Flour Welna’s Ma·Ma “Microwave in 2 Minutes” Chewy Fresh Pasta series. These fresh pasta pouches cook in the microwave, offering a chewy texture and the convenience of two-minute, pouch-to-microwave preparation. The series launched with two varieties—fettuccine and spaghetti—and the brand later tapped Japan’s superstar baseball player Shohei Ohtani as its model.

An aT official said, “Amid high prices, Japan’s food industry is seeing growing demand for products that emphasize time savings, convenience, and health/functionality.”