Where is Kirimi Hyakusen Plus made?

In the past, there have been a series of incidents of mislabeling of origins, contamination, and malicious and deliberate attempts to add foreign substances to food (food terrorism), leading to increased consumer awareness and interest in food safety. Okafoods' "Kirimi Hyakusen Plus" series is produced at partner factories in China and Vietnam. Many people worry that food produced overseas, such as in China, cannot be trusted. However, Okafoods' quality policy is to "provide consistent products to our customers safely, securely, and at low cost, from raw materials to consumption." Based on this policy, we have thoroughly focused on everything from raw material procurement to production management, quality control, and hygiene management. This goes beyond the factory production site; we also promote hygiene awareness through environmental improvement activities, and Okafoods employees work with local managers to address issues and grow together. These steady efforts have resulted in year-on-year improvements in quality, allowing many customers to enjoy our products with peace of mind.

The 100 Best Slices Plus are boneless slices!

Okafoods' "Hundred Selection of Sliced ​​Fish Plus" series, as the name suggests, is made from fish fillets with the bones removed. Because it is "boneless," it can be enjoyed by a wide range of people, from small children to the elderly, without having to worry about bones, and can be eaten down to the skin. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of opportunities to see and eat "boneless fish." While there is no difference between "boneless" and "boneless" in that the bones have been removed from the fish, Okafoods uses the term "boneless."

About the salt contained in the Kirimi Hyakusen Plus series

In order to prevent lifestyle-related diseases such as high blood pressure, there has been a growing trend to reduce salt intake, to the point that the target salt intake amount has been revised in the Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2020 edition).

In fact, a small amount of salt is used in the production of the Kirimi Hyakusen Plus series. As "salt" is also listed as an ingredient on the product packaging, we sometimes receive inquiries asking, "Are Kirimi Hyakusen Plus fillets salted?" The Kirimi Hyakusen Plus series is merely an "ingredient," so it is a product that customers must season (season) and cook (heat) themselves.

The Kirimi Hyakusen Plus series is a patented product (No. 4616409). It uses trace amounts of additives to remove the fishy odor and ensure delicious, plump, and tender fish, even when cooked frozen. To enhance the effectiveness of these additives, a trace amount of salt is added along with the fish. Furthermore, the trace amount of salt used during production does not significantly affect the salt content of the final product. While fish naturally contains a certain amount of salt as an ingredient, the Kirimi Hyakusen Plus series is designed to prevent excessive salt accumulation during the final product stage. Therefore, the Plus series can be safely consumed by those on a salt-restricted diet.

Common ways to reduce salt intake include reducing high-sodium foods such as soy sauce and miso, making dashi stock thicker to bring out the umami flavor, increasing the viscosity of seasonings so that they absorb flavor well even in small amounts, and using lighter side dishes and soups in place of heavily seasoned main dishes. Oka Foods also offers recommended cooking methods using the Kirimi Hyakusen Plus series.

Tips for cooking deliciously with the 100 best fillets in the Plus series

The best way to cook Kirimi Hyakusen Plus deliciously is to cook it while it's still frozen. Why?

① Reduces fishy smell <br/>When frozen fillets are thawed, the fish releases a liquid called "drip," which is naturally contained within the body of the fish. Drip has a unique fishy smell, so if you leave it as it is after thawing, the fillets will be soaked in the drip, which will make the smell even stronger.
Kirimi Hyakusen Plus is made using a method that removes the fishy odor while suppressing dripping, so of course it will have less odor than conventional products even when cooked after thawing. However, the Plus method is also a method that allows you to enjoy plump and delicious food even when cooked from frozen, so cooking directly from frozen reduces dripping even more than thawing, making it even more delicious.

② Moist and juicy texture <br/>Every time fish is frozen and thawed, the cell membrane is destroyed, making it easier for the flesh to drip. The more drip there is, the more likely the flesh will dry out and become hard when heated. Kirimi Hyakusen Plus is pre-processed to prevent dripping, so even when thawed and heated, the flesh shrinks and becomes less dry than conventional products, but cooking it from frozen reduces dripping even more, resulting in a moist and juicy finish.