■Accelerating Growth Beyond the Restaurant Sector

Hoshizaki, focused on addressing challenges in the diversifying food environment, is pursuing a domestic strategy of deepening its presence in the restaurant market while expanding into non-restaurant sectors. These include retail (supermarkets, convenience stores, etc.), food processing and sales (food factories, etc.), primary industries (fisheries, agriculture, etc.), hospitality (hotels, inns, etc.), as well as hospitals and welfare facilities. The non-restaurant sectors already account for approximately 60% of domestic product sales.

■Anticipating Expanded Use of Electrolyzed Water in Fresh-Cut Vegetable Processing

Electrolyzed water, which can be used for food sanitation management including washing and sanitization, is being adopted in various processing facilities including those for fresh-cut vegetables, seafood, meat processing, and tofu manufacturing. Among these, Hoshizaki is focused on the fresh-cut vegetable market as an area of future growth. This includes fresh-cut vegetables that help address labor shortages by reducing the cutting process in food preparation at restaurants, hospitals, school lunch facilities, and central production kitchens, as well as fresh-cut vegetables sold at supermarkets and convenience stores that reduce cooking time for consumers.

Furthermore, with the July 1, 2024, revision to the Japanese Agricultural Standards for organic processed foods, slightly acidic electrolyzed water and electrolyzed sodium hypochlorite water have been added to the existing strongly and weakly acidic electrolyzed water options for sanitizing post-harvest organic produce. We expect this to drive increased use of electrolyzed water in organic produce operations.

■Expanded Capability to Serve Sites Using High Volumes of Electrolyzed Water

Since 1993, Hoshizaki has manufactured strongly acidic electrolyzed water generators, later adding weakly acidic electrolyzed water systems to its lineup, selling to industries including hospitality, food service, wholesale, and retail. While our existing products were well suited for small-scale operations, we were unable to offer optimal solutions for large-scale facilities due to space requirements and flow rate limitations.

With this acquisition, Hoshizaki will take over Living Technology’s high-volume electrolyzed sodium hypochlorite water generator business. This system generates high-concentration electrolyzed sodium hypochlorite water. It can inject high-concentration electrolyzed sodium hypochlorite water into water pipelines, providing large volumes at concentrations appropriate for specific applications. The system can handle up to approximately 18 times¹ the volume of electrolyzed water compared to our existing product. Even for high-volume supply, no large storage tanks are required and installation space can be minimized. Using proprietary five-layer electrolysis technology, it achieves an extended electrode life of 15,000 hours (approximately five years)² and offers superior serviceability.

Hoshizaki will continue to offer solutions that support our customers.

Reference Information

Types of Electrolyzed Water for Food and Utensil Sanitation

Electrolyzed water is an aqueous solution generated by electrolyzing water containing trace amounts of either salt, diluted hydrochloric acid, or a combination of both using an electrolyzed water generator. The type of electrolyzed water produced varies depending on the substances added to the water and the generation method. The resulting solutions include acidic electrolyzed water, alkaline electrolyzed water, and electrolyzed sodium hypochlorite water.

Among acidic electrolyzed water types, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan has approved three types as food additives for food sanitization: strongly acidic, weakly acidic, and slightly acidic.

According to Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Notice No. 31, electrolyzed sodium hypochlorite water is classified the same as diluted sodium hypochlorite solution (a diluted chlorine-based disinfectant, distinct from electrolytically generated solutions) and can be used for food sanitization.

Washing and sanitization using acidic electrolyzed water or electrolyzed sodium hypochlorite water inhibit bacterial growth, helping prevent foodborne illnesses and enhancing food safety. It can also help maintain food freshness, contributing to food waste reduction.

While alkaline electrolyzed water is not approved as a food additive and cannot be used for food washing or sanitization, it can be used for cleaning utensils such as cutting boards and knives.