Customer Responsibility : Policy

MC engages in responsible advertising and marketing in line with the Three Corporate Principles, MC’s core philosophy, as well as with the Corporate Standards of Conduct, the Social Charter and the Code of Conduct. Through its corporate communications activities, MC strives to raise its brand value by conveying accurate information to the public while at the same time receiving feedback from external stakeholders with humility and incorporating it into business activities.

In order to present a consistent corporate image to customers and conduct advertising and promotional activities with the appropriate messaging, content and media, MC has developed a set of internal rules, guidelines and manuals that include specific considerations and stipulate approval and reporting procedures and other important matters. In particular, we take adequate precaution with respect to slanderous or discriminatory expressions, religious and political creeds, the environment, third-party privacy, confidentiality, disclosure and intellectual property rights. We have also created manuals for MC Group companies to ensure consistency across the Group.

MC engages in responsible marketing in a manner that respects third parties and their reputation. We use information and language that is easy to understand and make sure to avoid any potential for misunderstandings with our customers. This is accomplished by complying with laws and regulations related to marketing (such as the Japanese Unfair Competition Prevention Act), formulating and complying with internal rules, and conducting training, etc.

While the MC Group conducts business in a variety of areas, the food products business is most directly connected to consumers. The products we handle also cover a broad range and include processed foods, fresh foods, and beverages. For this business, we have established value chains that cover activities ranging from raw material procurement and processing to product manufacturing, distribution and retail. MC aims to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse and sophisticated consumer group and to respond to mounting concerns over food safety and security. As we develop businesses closely connected to people’s daily lives, it is essential for the growth of the MC Group that we provide products and services that add value for our consumers and that we obtain feedback directly from consumers through our retail businesses including MC affiliate Lawson, Inc. Consumer feedback is reflected back into our raw material procurement and processing, product manufacturing and distribution. Through this process, MC is optimizing and driving forward its businesses with a "consumer-first" mindset. In promoting consumer-related businesses, MC recognizes the issues involved (see below) and will conduct initiatives to prevent the occurrence of incidents and to mitigate their impacts.

The MC Group conducts business activities globally which involve providing consumers with food products and medical services. From upstream raw material procurement to downstream retail, we provide a stable supply of products and services that meet consumer needs in order to help them lead rich and varied lives. With a mission of conducting business activities closely connected to food and medicine, MC strives to ensure safety and security for consumers, thereby providing value that meets social requirements while also contributing to improved access to better nutrition and medical care.

In emerging countries, nutrient imbalances caused by lifestyle changes, increasing obesity, other lifestyle-related diseases and lower nutrient intake due to eating difficulties caused by aging have all become broad social issues. In emerging countries, hunger and malnutrition brought on by poverty and other conditions are widespread. At the same time, people are becoming more health-conscious. Each of these trends has the potential to create new markets and generate business opportunities, especially in emerging countries. The MC Group recognizes these social issues, and by leveraging the strength of our value chains which range from raw materials to retail as well as our technical capacities in the food science business, we will work to improve, for example, nutrition for elderly people who are nutrient deficient, etc., and to develop and provide nutritious products that meet consumer needs. Furthermore, we will strive to maintain a stable supply of products to prevent consumers from being negatively impacted by supply disruptions.

The MC Group is undertaking healthcare-related businesses through its S.L.C. Group. In Japan, one pressing issue is that government finances are being strained by worsening business conditions faced by medical institutions and burgeoning social insurance costs, which in turn reflect the aging population and growing medical expenditures. Meanwhile, in emerging countries, many people lack access to high-quality medical services due to underdeveloped healthcare environments and systems. Leveraging the knowledge and networks developed through its healthcare-related businesses over many years, the MC Group is working to address various healthcare issues arising worldwide, with the aim of realizing a society with improved access to better healthcare.

Lawson, Inc., an MC affiliated company, maintains non-alcohol sales areas, works to prevent underage drinking and drunk driving, and raise awareness of the benefits of moderate drinking in order to reduce the health risks caused by drinking and other lifestyle-related factors. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's (MHLW) guidelines define "alcohol consumption that increases the risk of lifestyle-related diseases" as a daily net alcohol intake of 40 g or more for men and 20 g or more for women. To keep alcohol intake to 20 g or less, the alcohol content of 350 ml cans, which is the standard size for canned “chuhai,” must be below 7%, and the alcohol content of 500 ml cans of beer, often purchased at convenience stores, must be below 5%.
Lawson develops and sells original “chuhai” and beer that prioritize deliciousness in accordance with the MHLW guidelines.

Lawson is characterized by its great variety of products and services it offers, which at the same time means that it must adhere to laws as well as both anticipate and respond to risks. Lawson’s “Basic Policy for Improvement of Internal Control Systems” has been established to strive for healthy, continuous growth with these business characteristics. Japanese consumer laws (such as the Food Labeling Act, the Food Sanitation Act and the Health Promotion Act) are held as important laws that need especially to be followed as common knowledge in order to reliably improve systems to ensure Lawson’s indispensable product safety and security, as well as to maintain consumer trust. Thus, Lawson attaches labels to its original lunchboxes and prepared foods in compliance with the Food Labeling Act indicating the product name, expiration date, ingredients, etc.
Moreover, the Intellectual Property Act and other laws are taken into consideration in order to further strengthen Lawson’s label-checking system so as not to violate the intellectual property rights (trademark rights, copyrights, etc.) of others when creating promotional materials.

Furthermore, Lawson publishes information about these in its Integrated Reports.

Lawson conducts compliance and risk management training for all employees every year and aims for further improvement of ethical awareness and crisis-response capability. Compliance is also included in the training when employees join Lawson or are promoted to managerial positions, training by job category, as well as management training. Moreover, by revising the content of this training in accordance with changes in the status of risks, Lawson is working to improve operations by having employees in all positions and job categories share their problems.

Furthermore, Lawson publishes information about the aforementioned on its homepage.

MC consolidated subsidiary Mitsubishi Shokuhin Co., Ltd. engages proactively in the sale of non-alcoholic beverages in order to reduce the harmful effects of excessive alcohol consumption.

In addition to upholding advertising guidelines, Mitsubishi Shokuhin conducts employee training on the relevant Food Labeling Act and Act Against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations every year.

Mitsubishi Shokuhin agrees with Japan Food Safety Management Association and collects information on Quality Management System (QMS) and the Food Safety Management System (FSMS) to use when providing guidance to contracted manufacturing companies.