Fujiya, a Japanese restaurant operator in Tokushima and Kagawa prefectures, has launched a plant-based meat line called Nikugoe made from sorghum (takakibi), harvested in Tokushima.
Nikugoe’s lineup includes Hamburg Steak, Meat Super Cheese Hamburger, Demi Sauce Meat Super Hamburger, and Demi Sauce Meat Super Cheese Hamburger, and Meat Super Gyoza — all vegan certified by the NPO Vege Project Japan.
“It’s a new food category that transcends meat”
Fujiya claims its meat alternatives are closer in texture and flavor to animal meat compared to tofu while containing 65% less sodium and 55% less fat than traditional beef burgers. “Super Hamburger is not a substitute for meat. It’s a new food category that transcends meat,” says the company on its website.
Sorghum vs soy
Fujiya operates around 70 outlets, including yakiniku barbecue (grilled meat) restaurants and gyoza dumpling locations. After the pandemic, the company expanded to gyoza manufacturing and decided to include a soy-free, vegan product to cater to the growing trend.
In partnership with its food manufacturer OEM, Fujiya experimented for two years with different ingredients to obtain a highly nutritional meat alternative without soy, to avoid its bitter taste, pungent odor, and coarse texture.
They focused on sorghum (takakibi), also called meat millet, which has been cultivated in Tokushima Prefecture for centuries as a raw material in rice cakes, because it could rival soy as a nutritional source.
Nutritional powerhouse
Takakibi, recognized as a superfood by the Japan Superfood Association, is considered a nutritional powerhouse. It provides folic acid, vitamin D, iron, potassium, and magnesium, offering a full day’s recommended nutrients, explains Fujiya.
After 2000 hours of trials, the final formula contains, in addition to sorghum, sesame oil to offer a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, mushroom powder for vitamin D and potassium, and koji using rice from Tokushima Prefecture for dietary fiber. Seasonings, onions, and soy milk provide flavor and act as binders. You can watch a wonderful video about the Nikugoe Hamburg Steak here.
Expanding deliciousness
Now that the company has introduced its first plant-based meat products and vegan gyoza featuring its meat alternative, it has plans to introduce a plant-based frankfurter via e-commerce and a range of gluten-free gyosas.
According to Nikkei, the company plans to launch extensive sales and online shopping options for mass retailers, including supermarkets, aiming to achieve 100 million yen in sales in the first year.
“We aim to breathe a new wind into the alternative meat market”
The company’s ambitions are to expand overseas, with Fujiya reportedly planning to enter the US market with its Nikugoe range. Additionally, a Fujiya factory in Tokushima city will receive halal certification by the end of the year, enabling potential exports of vegan-friendly meat to Europe and the Middle East.
“As a restaurant company that has been in business for 55 years, members who are passionate about the pursuit of deliciousness have gathered and taken a new step towards a food category that is not alternative meat. Through this ‘Meat Super Hamburger,’ we aim to breathe a new wind into the alternative meat market, not only soybean meat,” Fujiya explains on its website.
