Our Policies and Approach
Suntory Group's “All for the Quality” policy puts quality first and is based on our founder’s philosophy of crafting excellent products for consumers.
Under this quality policy, Suntory Group has established the Suntory Quality Management Regulations and the Rules for Suntory Quality, with which each Group company must comply. We strive to improve quality in all processes throughout the value chain, from R&D, product planning and design, to raw material procurement, manufacturing, logistics, and sales. We also believe it important that each and every Suntory Group employee is always aware of the importance of quality in carrying out activities, so we regularly hold quality education and awareness programs through in-house training and other programs.
All Suntory Group employees, including those outside Japan, constantly work to maintain and improve quality in order to earn even greater trust from consumers.
Quality Management System
Following the acceleration of global development and expansion into new fields of business, Suntory Group has been enhancing our Quality Management Systems as part of Group Governance. We installed the Quality Assurance Committee at Suntory Holdings Ltd. to promote quality management throughout the entire Group. This committee identifies quality risks and prevents trouble before it occurs in priority issues across the organization based on the Group quality strategy.
To prevent serious quality issues from occurring, management-level staff and other persons in positions of responsibility in production and R&D are brought together for a weekly risk review meeting. Internal and external quality risks identified during the previous week are shared in a timely manner, countermeasures are discussed, and changes in potential risk factors are monitored.
Our plants have acquired international quality and food safety management system certifications such as ISO9001 and FSSC22000, and continuously work to make improvements. The Chief Quality Officer (CQO) of Suntory Holdings Limited plays a vital role in this process by strengthening the quality management capacities through holding meetings on product quality with each Group company.
Suntory Group is committed to delivering high-quality products that offer new value and are safe and reliable to delight consumers across the globe. This promise is shared within the group through the Suntory's MONOZUKURI Manufacturing Values and Code of Conduct, which we have held dear and consistently delivered on since our founding.
Our Initiatives
Quality Assurance across the Value Chain
Based on the Suntory Quality Policy “All for the Quality,” we continually work to maintain and improve quality in all our processes across the value chain, from R&D, product planning and development and the procurement of raw materials to manufacturing, distribution, and sales.
The main quality assurance activities for each process are as follows.
Water, Agricultural crops, and Natural resources
Safety Management for Ingredients and Water
The water, crops, and natural resources used in our products are carefully managed, and we ensure safety by assessing potential risks from various perspectives. We maintain strict management of raw ingredients suppliers and conduct thorough quality inspections. We also work to preserve the environment around water resources to ensure a stable supply of quality water.
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●Regular analysis and inspection
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●Development of new water resources
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●Research into water quality in Japan and overseas
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●Evaluation and selection of suppliers
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●Quality auditing of suppliers
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●Developing new ingredients and sustainable procurement
(Florida, U.S.A.)
Research and technology development, Product planning and design
R&D and Technological Innovation
We passionately engage in research and technological development to create attractive products that exceed consumer expectations. We use evidence-based evaluation methods to verify new materials and technologies, contributing to the improvement of product performance and taste.
Product Planning and Design
We are committed to designing and delivering to consumers products that maximize the original flavor of ingredients. We clarify quality requirements from the product concept stage, and ensure that everything from package design to labeling is both easy to understand and compliant with legal requirements.
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●Designs that pursue good taste and functionality
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●Risk assessment, from an analytical chemistry perspective, microbiological perspective, and biological perspective, of the products to be manufactured and sold, and safety analysis and inspections
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●Evaluation of regulatory conformity for constituent materials
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●Developing new containers and sustainable procurement
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●Performance and safety evaluation
Accurate labeling using easy-to-understand language
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●Compliance of food labeling regulations and standards for all products
Manufacturing
Quality Management at the Manufacturing Stage
To provide high-quality, safe and reassuring products, each of our manufacturing plants implement thorough quality control. Our manufacturing lines use a combination of automated inspection equipment and human eye checks to prevent contamination with foreign substances and maintain hygiene, preventing the outflow of defective product.
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●Acquisition of ISO9001 certification, HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critial Control Point)recognition, and FSSC22000 recognition
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●Adoption of TPM（Total Production by foreign objects
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●Preventing and checking damage to containers, spillage of contents, and contamination of contents by foreign objects
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●Strengthening of food defense, including room exit/entrance management and installation of cameras
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●Safety, function, and other inspections by expert teams of premium gifts
Delivering
Quality Assurance at the Logistics Stage
In order to maintain product quality, we take the utmost care for logistics. For example, we control temperature and humidity in our warehouses and take measures to reduce vibrations and shocks during transportation to help ensure that product quality remains intact throughout distribution. Additionally, we ensure traceability, enabling us to quickly identify and address any potential issues with raw materials, containers, or labeling after shipping.
Sales
We also carefully manage store and vending machine stocks, striving to maintain quality until our products reach our customers. We also utilize customer feedback to improve our products and services so that we can provide products and services that resonate with our customers.
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●Sharing quality assurance knowledge with logistics companies
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●Checking facilities, temperature, safety and hygiene in warehouses for product storage
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●Support for sanitation management and quality control at restaurants
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●Seminars on improving quality at the point of consumption aimed at business serving keg draft beer
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●Hygienic management of kitchen facilities and ingredients at restaurant companies and quality assurance activities such as checking for food allergens in ingredients
Customers
Customer Response System
The Customer Center provides post-sale information to help ensure correct understanding of Suntory products and to build trust.
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●Easy-to-understand introduction of safety and security initiatives
*Traceability
Ingredient traceability system such as using two-dimensional codes and social quality assurance activities related to sustainable procurement to realize a sustainable society
Accurate and Easy to Understand Labeling
In terms of product labeling, the Group Quality Assurance Division has established a system to check legal compliance and appropriateness, and promotes accurate labeling and easy-to-understand expressions in collaboration with the relevant teams including development and production of each Group company.
Examples of Labeling on Products
Labeling example to prevent drinking alcohol by mistake
A mark that shows that this is an alcoholic beverage is put on products to prevent people from mistaking low-alcoholic beverages for soft drinks. We also put a mark showing that "this is an alcoholic beverage" on the lid of the can and in Braille on our major products. In addition we also display "Drinking while pregnant or breastfeeding may be harmful to the development of unborn babies or infants" on products in order to evoke caution about alcohol in pregnant and nursing mothers.
Allergen labeling
Suntory Group assesses raw materials determine the necessity to be indicated on products as allergenic. For our soft drinks, we not only comply 8 mandatory items required to put on the label by the Food Labeling Standards set by the Consumer Affairs Agency, but also include 20 recommended items.
Although alcoholic beverages are exempted from allergen labeling requirement, we voluntarily put allergen information on beverages such as beer and Chu-Hi.
Product information (ingredients, nutritional information, etc. can be checked) (in Japanese)
"Month/year" labeling for “best-by” dates
The best-by dates of soft drinks are generally indicated by a “date/month/year.” In order to reduce the environmental impact of inventory management along with ease of understanding for customers, Suntory Group is working to label products with the best-by date of 1 year or more as “month/year.”
Approach for Food Safety
To ensure our customers can confidently use our products, Suntory Group implements a variety of initiatives related to "food safety" across the entire Group. We confirm that the food additives, preservatives and other ingredients in our products are safe and in compliance with the Food Sanitation Act and other applicable laws and regulations in Japan. With regard to pesticide residues, we have established an assurance system that complies with the positive list system for agricultural chemicals. Our approach for food safety is a combination of setting strict internal standards, keeping track of pesticides, obtaining quality assurance letters from suppliers, and providing assurance through analysis. We also conduct site visits as needed for items that cannot be determined only with written documents. All food products and all pesticides are subject to regulations, and Suntory Group guarantees that the raw materials it purchases and uses comply with residue standards, thereby assuring the safety of its products. We also continue efforts to strengthen our system to guarantee all the raw materials we purchase and use, including those that have been highly processed. Specifically, we are working in cooperation with the industry to further grasp the actual status of pesticide use and expanding the scope of pesticides to be analyzed. We have also established our own traceability system.
We also take every precaution to ensure the safety of our containers and packaging. For each type of container (cans, bottles, PET bottles, paper cartons, etc.), we assess the anticipated risks at every stage from material selection to design and manufacturing in order to ensure safety and compliance with laws and regulations. For example, we conduct tests on leaching of components from the container into the contents to verify that safety standards have been met.
In terms of radioactive materials, we guarantee the safety of our products by ensuring the safety of the water and raw materials used in the manufacturing process. For water and raw materials, we obtain information from national and local governments and raw materials manufacturers, and also analyze for radioactive materials both in-house and through outside contractors to confirm safety.
To provide peace of mind to our consumers, Suntory Group conducts annual analyses of Suntory Tennensui (Mineral Water) at each water source. We also conduct an annual analysis of the water used in all non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverage products we manufacture in Japan. Through such testing, we confirm that our water is below the provisional limit for Japanese tap water (total of 50 ng/L for PFOA and PFOS combined) according to water quality management standards.
Through comprehensive efforts such as the above, Suntory Group ensures thorough quality assurance in all processes, from raw materials to when a product reaches the customer’s hands. In the spirit of “All for the Quality,” we will continue to pursue the highest quality and safety, and strive to create reliable products.
Voluntary Recalls
While striving for thorough quality assurance, we swiftly and appropriately disclose information if any issues arise.
During the period from January to December 2024, there were no recalls announced in newspapers or on the company's website due to violations of related regulations or our internal standards.
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*The following Suntory Group companies in Japan are eligible
Suntory Holdings Ltd., Suntory Beverage & Food Ltd., Suntory Foods Ltd., Suntory Spirits Ltd., Suntory Wellness Ltd., Suntory Flowers Ltd., Izutsu Maisen Co., Ltd., Pronto Corporation, DYNAC HOLDINGS CORPORATION, Häagen-Dazs Japan, Inc. and Monte Bussan K.K.
