The Group has been undertaking food allergy related initiatives since 1996 to provide the joy of eating to individuals who have food allergies.
The Nipponham Foundation was established in January 2015 to focus on food allergy-related issues with the aim of using experience and management resources accumulated over many years to solve social issues and improve the environment. The foundation was certified as a public interest incorporated foundation in April 2017. It provides grants for food allergy research and conducts educational activities.
Food Allergy Research Grants
Since fiscal 2016, the foundation has provided grants to research groups and researchers nationwide conducting research through an open application system (joint and individual research) with the aims of promoting further advances in food allergy research and solving allergy-related problems. Joint research is intended to promote research that integrates different fields such as medicine and food science, while individual research seeks to support and foster young researchers who are conducting food allergy related research.
Overview of Research Grants
Grant recipients are screened and selected through an open application system. A Research Grant Screening Committee made up of experts conducts fair screening of the research topics and other matters based on screening criteria, and the foundation’s Executive Committee makes the final decisions.
| Grant Amount | Number of Research Projects | Timing of Grants Provision | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiscal 2016 (actual) | ¥63.23 million | 25 projects | April 2016 |
Fiscal 2017 (actual) |
¥56.87 million | 19 projects | April 2017 |
Fiscal 2018 (actual) |
¥63.03 million | 21 projects | April 2018 |
Fiscal 2019 (actual) |
¥62.99 million | 22 projects | April 2019 |
Fiscal 2020 (actual) |
¥61.39 million | 23 projects | April 2020 |
Fiscal 2021 (actual) |
¥61.40 million | 21 projects | April 2021 |
Food Allergy Educational Programs
The Nipponham Foundation conducts a variety of programs for persons with food allergies and their families, healthcare workers and researchers, persons in the food services industry, local governmental bodies, school workers, and others who have an interest in food allergies.
The “Allergen-Free Cooking Contest,” which is intended to convey and advance techniques for cooking allergen-free foods, collects ideas that have been created by individual families, and the winning recipes are made available to the general public by posting them on websites and through other means. In addition, the foundation publishes pamphlets with recipes, holds food allergy seminars for nutritionists, registered dieticians, and others, and implements other measures to increase public understanding.
