Sake from Kobe will be first Japanese product to carry Salmon-Safe label
Extending our watershed-based environmental certification program across the North Pacific, Salmon-Safe has certified three rice farms near Kobe, Japan. Sake Brewery TEN, sourcing the certified rice, will be the first Salmon-Safe certified product in Japan.
The pilot project is a partnership between Salmon-Safe and Super Normal, a Tokyo-based sustainability firm, with support from Kobe Newspaper and Toyokura Town Agricultural Cooperative. It leverages Kobe Newspaper’s ongoing MEGURU sustainability initiative for rice growers that focuses on carbon-neutral farming methods.
“Salmon-Safe is a certification that protects watersheds from river to sea,” says Takashi Okutani, CEO of Super Normal. “We intend to expand this movement across Japan, fulfilling our mission to connect regional resources to future generations.”
To qualify for certification, the farms participating in the Salmon-Safe pilot met rigorous conservation requirements including habitat restoration, water conservation, enhancement of wildlife habitat, and phasing our inputs harmful to fish and downstream water quality. Each farm was inspected by a US-based independent Salmon-Safe assessor to ensure compliance with certification standards.
“As the first Salmon-Safe certified operations in Japan, Sake Brewery TEN and the pilot farms within Toyokura Town Agricultural Cooperative are leading the way to healthier watersheds in Japan by protecting water quality and preserving biodiversity,” said Dan Kent, Salmon-Safe co-founder and executive director. “We look forward to partnering with Super Normal to extend the Salmon-Safe certification pilot to additional Sake brands and other agricultural sectors over the next 12 months.”
Sake is the latest beverage product to carry the Salmon-Safe label. In the United States and Canada, Salmon-Safe has transitioned more than 900 farms to certification and craft beer, wine, cider, whiskey, and many other agricultural products carry the Salmon-Safe label.
