JA Tsumagoi Village and Second Harvest Japan Launch a New Model for Sustainable Food Support

JA Tsumagoi Village Agricultural Cooperative (Location: Tsumagoi Village, Agatsuma District, Gunma Prefecture; Representative Director & President, Munehisa Kuroiwa; hereinafter 'JA Tsumagoi Village') and the certified NPO Second Harvest Japan (Location: Taito-ku, Tokyo; CEO, Yuji Shibata; hereinafter '2HJ') have announced the launch of a new initiative that realizes continuous and regular food support through collaboration between a production area and a food bank.

Under this initiative, from July to October 2026, one pallet (70 cases) of cabbage will be continuously donated from JA Tsumagoi Village to 2HJ every Monday. This system is distinct from 'food loss countermeasures for surplus or substandard products'; it is a mechanism for continuously donating 'standard products' for the purpose of social contribution.

JA Tsumagoi Village and 2HJ held repeated discussions based on a shared awareness of the need to contribute to solving social issues through agriculture, the region's core industry, leading to the establishment of this scheme. This is a first-time endeavor for both JA Tsumagoi Village and 2HJ, and the scheme of continuously and regularly donating standard products to a food bank is considered an advanced model case within the industry. Fresh cabbage from Tsumagoi Village, known as one of Japan's leading cabbage-producing regions, will be delivered through 2HJ to people in need of food support via 2HJ's partner food pantries and various welfare facilities.

Comment from Munehisa Kuroiwa, Representative Director & President, JA Tsumagoi Village Agricultural Cooperative:

'We believe that agriculture has the power to support society. Through this initiative, we aim to build a new system that stably delivers agricultural products, carefully cultivated by producers, to those in need, and to demonstrate a new social value for regional agriculture.'

Comment from Yuji Shibata, CEO, Second Harvest Japan:

'At 2HJ, we emphasize not just delivering 'quantity' in food support, but also stably providing nutritionally balanced food. Fresh vegetables, in particular, are essential foods for supporting a healthy diet. This initiative greatly contributes to realizing this kind of high-quality food support. In the future, by horizontally expanding this model to other regions and other product categories, we aim to develop it into a more sustainable and nutritious food support model.'