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History of developments of natto

gJapanese People Should Eat Nattoh Said Ms. Appleton

In the confusion after the World War II, the natto cooperative requested Mr. Takeshi NAGASAWA of Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Director, Farm Village Industry Division, Agricultural Administration Office) to prepare documents in English in order for the General Headquarters of the Allied Forces (GHQ) to understand natto.

The document titled gRegarding Natto (gSoy-Bean Cheese)h focused on the origin of the natto which had been a side dish from the ancient time, its popularity and the ‚ˆ‚™hygienic modern production method of natto utilizing natto yeasts.

Moreover, in order for foreigners to feel it familiar, it was described as gSoy-bean cheeseh implying better than cheese in Europe, with the nutritious effect of natto and its data.

In April 1949, the gExhibition of Soybean Cultureh was held at Mitsukoshi Department's flagship store to which Ms. Appleton, GHQfs chief officer in charge, came. Presumably, Ms. Appleton read the English document titled gRegarding Natto,h and became interested in natto. That is because in July, three months after the exhibition, Ms. Appleton visited the natto factory of Mr. Koji KASAKURA in Ueno, Tokyo, to study the matter. She had the belief that proteins - which were not sufficiently taken by Japanese people immediately after the War - gcould be supplemented by eating natto.h

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Panel of Production Method
Materials provided by Mr. Naohiko ZENTO of Maruzen Otake Natto Factory Ltd.

Executives of the cooperative who was told that the standards for sanitary arrangements of food factories were especially stringent in the U.S., changed the earth floor to that of concrete, painted the walls, put anti-insect wire mesh, hung noren short split curtains at the entrance. With all such preparations from several days before to make it a model clean factory of food processing of that period, they were said to have received her who would check strictly as an expert of the food industry.