Aeon Retail to Launch 3-Rice Ball Set Devised by Nutrition Students at 89 Aeon Stores on Wednesday, June 10

Aeon Retail Co., Ltd. Minami-Kanto Company is contributing to solving local dietary issues through product development and sales. From June 10 (Wed) to June 23 (Tue), the company will sell a rice ball set using pickled Toke Karashina from Chiba City at 89 'Aeon' and 'Aeon Style' general supermarkets in Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Yamanashi.

Since fiscal 2025, the company has been conducting the 'Chiba City Shokuiku (Food Education) Onigiri Project' in collaboration with Chiba City and the Chiba Prefectural University of Health Sciences. This project aims to solve Chiba City's dietary challenges—specifically, reducing breakfast skipping, increasing opportunities for shared meals, and increasing vegetable intake—by having students from the university's Department of Nutrition devise recipes, which the company then commercializes and sells. This initiative proposes rice balls using ingredients from Chiba City to a wide range of customers.

<Overview of the 2nd Project> Devised by 20 nutrition students, the set features three types of rice balls using pickled 'Toke Karashina' from Chiba City.

The second project resulted in a set featuring a rolled omelet using pickled 'Toke Karashina' and three types of rice balls. For the recipe submission, the target was the younger generation who may be less health-conscious. In addition to the three themes—breakfast, shared meals, and vegetable intake—the use of pickled Toke Karashina was a mandatory requirement. Based on this, 20 students from the Department of Nutrition devised the rice ball and side dish set. The company's delicatessen product development team provided information from the perspectives of ingredient procurement, costs, and manufacturing feasibility, leading to the commercialization.

The set includes three types of rice balls: 'Toke Karashina and Ham Rice Ball,' 'Tuna Mayonnaise Rice Ball,' and 'Edamame Corn and Salted Kelp Rice Ball,' along with a vegetable hamburger steak and Toke Karashina rolled omelet. It is a rice ball set devised with the free ideas of Gen Z students studying nutrition and the desire for customers to feel closer to local ingredients.

The stores will strengthen their sales floor displays so that many customers in the region can enjoy this product.

Product Name: Rolled Omelet and 3-Rice Ball Set using Chiba City-grown Toke Karashina Sales Locations: 89 Aeon and Aeon Style stores in Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Yamanashi Sales Period: June 10 (Wed) – June 23 (Tue), 2026 Base Price: 398 JPY (429.84 JPY including tax)