Okafoods Quality Policy

We provide a stable supply of consistent products to our customers, from raw materials to final use, in a safe, secure and low-cost manner.

Okafoods' Safety and Security Initiatives

Okafoods is a fabless manufacturer (without its own factories), but has been committed to safety and security since its founding in 1975. Since the early 1970s, the company has been instructing its contracted seafood processing factories, mainly in the Sanriku region, on hygiene management, requiring employees to wear white coats, masks, and hats, and to undergo inspections before entering the factories, which was unusual at the time.
We have welcomed engineer Masao Nakayama as an advisor, and are focusing on hygiene management education at our major factories both in Japan and overseas, by providing practical guidance on hygiene management and holding study sessions for all workers.In addition, with the increase in overseas production these days, we are also conducting "Training in Japan" to help factory workers understand "why it is necessary to remove bones from fish and what problems can occur if bones remain."

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Management system from purchasing raw materials to commercialization

• 01.Raw material management

  When procuring raw materials, Okafoods' experienced purchasing staff, or "fish professionals" on request, inspect the products directly on-site before purchasing. We only purchase raw materials that can be issued with a certificate of origin, so all of our products are traceable.

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  02.factory management

  1.

  Our staff and external experts always visit factories that we intend to outsource processing to in advance, and we only contract with factories that meet our quality policy.

  2.

  We also prioritize the development of managers, such as factory directors, and on-site supervisors. We believe it is necessary for these people to not just do what they're told, but to think independently and be able to make continuous improvements. To that end, our staff and external experts regularly communicate with local employees, focusing on improving their management skills and mindset for improvement. We also hold regular study sessions for on-site workers. The themes of these study sessions are not limited to raising awareness of quality and improving skills, but also include learning about how Oka Foods products are cooked and eaten. This allows employees to gain a deeper understanding of the meaning and significance of the work they do on a daily basis.

  3.

  Furthermore, we are actively working to improve not only the working environment but also the living environment, such as adjusting the lighting on work benches in the factory, improving meals, and improving and beautifying employee dormitories.

• 03.product management

  1.

  For products manufactured at overseas factories, hygiene inspections are conducted in the quality inspection room within the factory when raw materials are received and after the product is manufactured, and only safe and secure products that meet the standards set forth by Japanese law are shipped.

  2.

  New products are inspected for initial flow management before being shipped from the factory and when they arrive to ensure there are no variations in quality.

• 04.Storage/logistics management

  We outsource everything from storage to shipping and delivery of our products to a logistics company specializing in frozen products, and we centrally manage storage temperatures, inventory expiration dates, shipping history, and temperature control and records during shipping.

To achieve "safety and security right up to the point of use"

To ensure that our products are used safely and with peace of mind, we hold study sessions for chefs and nutritionists who actually use our products, as well as for retailers who stock our products. We also publish and distribute pamphlets containing useful information and examples, such as "An Interesting Dictionary for Enjoying Eating Fish" and "Fish Ecology Q&A." We also actively create opportunities to explain product specifications, how to use them, and the characteristics of fish at exhibitions, seminars, on our website, and elsewhere.

The difference between boneless and boneless

Recently, we've been seeing more and more fish with bones removed in supermarkets, bento boxes, side dishes, school lunches, and various other settings. These fish are generally called "boneless fish." Some people think, "Boneless fish" means fish that have been bred to be naturally boneless, like seedless grapes, right?!" However, boneless fish are actually made by removing the bones one by one from regular fish.
At Oka Foods, we sell all of these boneless fish as "boneless fish." For this reason, we are often asked by customers, "What is the difference between boneless fish and boneless fish?" However, they are essentially the same thing.
So how do they remove the bones from Okafoods' "boneless fish"? We will introduce you to the actual manufacturing process of "boneless fish" at our production plant.

The manufacturing process of "boneless fish"

• 01.

  Raw material thawing and processing processOka Foods uses a variety of ingredients caught all over the world, but we only source traceable ingredients. The ingredients are frozen immediately after being caught and transported to the production factory under strict temperature control. At the factory, the ingredients are first thawed and the scales, internal organs, fins, etc. are removed one by one.

• 02.

  Three-piece wholesale processThe processed fish is thoroughly washed and filleted by hand. At this stage, most of the bones, such as the backbone, belly bones, and fin bones, are removed.

• 03.

  Pin bone removal processFish have small bones called pinbones. At Oka Foods, we carefully remove the pinbones one by one by hand. Recently, there are machines that can remove small bones, but depending on the size of the fish and the thickness of the flesh, some will inevitably be left behind. Human work is still far more accurate than machines.

• 04.

  X-ray inspection processEven with careful human work, the removal rate is not 100%. That's why we use X-rays to check for any bones remaining in the fish, similar to how X-rays are used for humans. Each fish is projected onto a screen and then inspected by human eyes, one by one, for any bones remaining. We utilize the bone detection capabilities of X-rays to regularly analyze any remaining bones found from various angles, such as the person, the fish, the part of the body, and the time of day, in order to improve our bone removal technology.

• 05.

  fillet processThe fillets are carefully deboned and then frozen before being cut into fillets. Each fillet is then weighed to ensure there is no variation in weight.

• 06.

  Bagging processThe fillets are first frozen, then carefully packed one by one.

• 07.

  Inspection and packaging processEach bag of product is inspected with a metal detector to ensure there are no foreign objects inside, before being boxed and shipped to Japan.

Why does Okafoods use boneless fish?

As we have already explained, there is no difference between "boneless fish" and "boneless fish" in that they are fish with bones that have had the bones carefully removed one by one. However, Okafoods has insisted on calling them "boneless fish" from the beginning. This is because boneless fish are not born without bones like seedless grapes, but are made by carefully "removing" the bones one by one by hand.
However, when it comes to human intervention, 100% accuracy is almost impossible, and some kind of mistake or defect will occur. Even in the boning process, it is extremely difficult to remove 100% of the fine bones. Oka Foods has achieved Six Sigma (reducing the probability of mistakes or defective products to 3.4 in a million or less) for remaining bones (removed bones), and has set the ambitious goal of a "remaining bone rate of 0" and continues to carry out quality improvement activities on a daily basis. Of course, we are also confident in the low amount of remaining bones.
Oka Foods' insistence on using "boneless fish" rather than "boneless fish" comes from our desire to enable customers to use our products safely and with peace of mind, while understanding the true nature of the fish and our efforts to improve quality.