Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/75297

This paper aims to clarify the supply system of processed foods made from local materials by manufacturers for school meals. This supply system ranges from the procurement of raw materials to procesing and selling. The content of a case study in Hokkaido is as follows: The Hokkaido School Meal Association selects and registers processed foods for school meals throughout Hokkaido and the Saporo City School Meal Association conducts the same operations for schools in Sapporo, the capital city of Hokkaido. There are three registration categories for the products of both associations: 1) products recommended by Zengakuei, the nationwide organization of nutrition teachers, 2) products developed by both of the above asociations, 3) products selected through an open biding process. Each product is also clasified into two types: a) primary processed foods, like frozen spinach, that are made from raw materials grown by farmers, b) pre-coked foods, like croquettes, that are made from primary procedsed foods provided by primary processing manufacturers. Because the raw materials of primary processed foods in all registration categories are limited to vegetables that are grown locally in Hokkaido, manufacturers try to establish a stable procurement chain through contracts with farmers (contract farming). However, shortages of these materials due to unseasonal weather can lead to the halting of processing and therefore of sales. In the case of the pre-cooked foods developed by those associations, a shortage of local materials originating in Hokkaido can also bring processing and sales to a halt. On the other hand, when there is a shortage of local materials it is posible for manufacturers of the pre-cooked foods recommended by Zengakuei and those procured through a competitive open bidding process to replace local materials with materials made from primary processed foods that use raw vegetables grown in the other parts of Japan or imported from foreign countries. These pre-cooked foods are, however, no longer made from Hokkaido materials. Therefore, a stable supply of local processed foods depends heavily on the establishment of a stable system for the production and sales of primary processing manufacturers using local materials.