This strategic move could prompt others in the sugar or sweeteners production segment to follow the banner.
Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) had stated that sugar consumption in the Northeast Asian nation is falling.
The decline is said to be due to consumers in a society with good health knowledge and consciousness, who are avoiding sugar.
The process of refining of sugar usually utilises bone char from animals — produced by burning the bones in the deficiency of oxygen — which allows the removal of pigments, ash and other impurities in the sugar. However, this method is not compliant with Islamic dietary laws.
To cater to the halal market, Mitsui Sugar has decided to entirely eliminate bone char from its sugar production processes. Instead, it will use filtration with activated charcoal.
