Taiwan’s produce a hit with Japanese schoolkids

2025/05/07

Taiwan-grown pineapples will remain an important component of school meals in Japan for the seventh year running, the Ministry of Agriculture said during a promotional event May 5 in the southern city of Tainan.
 
According to the ministry, the initiative stems from the “Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation for Strengthening the Exchange on Food and Culture,” signed by the MOA’s Agriculture and Food Agency and Ibaraki prefecture’s Kasama City Government in July 2019.
 
The MOA said Taiwan has supplied locally grown bananas, mangoes, pineapples and pomelos to the region’s elementary and junior high schools ever since. This year Taiwan is expected to ship nearly three tons of pineapples alone to 92 schools in five cities of the prefecture, the MOA added.
 
MOA Deputy Minister Hu Jong-i said at the event that Taiwan’s fruit is loved globally for its fine quality and unique flavors. Local pineapples are especially popular in Japan and sales have been on the rise since 2021, reaching a record high of 19,373 tons in 2024, he added.
 
Hu said the school produce program has helped build a positive image of Taiwan’s fruit among Japan’s younger generations and laid a strong foundation for their future consumption habits. He encouraged local suppliers to develop more products using local ingredients, adding that the MOA will continue to expand cooperation with public and private entities in Japan to promote Taiwan’s quality agricultural products. 


Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)