Corporate Social Responsibility

• Invester Relations
• Environmental Activities
• Environmental Philosophy and Policies
• Environmental Management Structure
• Store Activities
• Product Initiatives
• Logistics Initiatives
• Environmental Friendly Construction and Facilities
• Social Contribution Activities
• Store Fundraising Activities
• NPO Support Activities
• Other Social Contribution Activities
• Initiatives to Ensure Food Safety and Reliability

Initiatives to Ensure Food Safety and Reliability

Circle K Sunkus conducts rigorous food hygiene and quality control so that customers can enjoy safe and reliable food products.

• The DSS Association* carefully inspects and verifies raw material specifications, confirming the actual substances used in the raw materials. The Association investigates raw materials, food additives and allergens, nutritional content and production work flow, and conducts microbiological inspections and the certification of distinctive raw materials.
• Circle K Sunkus conducts day-to-day food hygiene assurance and control at the food preparation center level through voluntary microbiological inspections of implements and raw materials used, as well as products.
• Circle K Sunkus' Quality Assurance Department leads the examination and analysis of the nutritional content of products taken from spot checks of production lines, microbiological inspections and analyses, and verification of proper labeling.
• The Quality Assurance Department also provides regular group training for heads of food preparation centers and quality assurance managers. It also conducts non-scheduled on-site food preparation center inspections to confirm the status of food hygiene and freshness control, with the aim of enforcing standardized improvements in food hygiene control at food preparation centers.
• DSS Association: The Delica Supply System Association, as it is officially named, conducts bulk purchasing and quality assurance for raw materials, packaging and so forth.

Pursuing the Highest Quality of Food Safety and Reliability Using the HACCP (Food Hygiene Control) Methodology

Food product quality through to the food preparation center stage is susceptible to biological as well as physical and chemical food safety hazards. In order to shield food products from each hazard, Circle K Sunkus conducts microbiological inspections of products, raw materials, equipment and facilities, and rooms at food preparation centers. Food quality is also monitored at all times. For example, Circle K Sunkus has contracted a third party to conduct inspections of products purchased at stores. In addition, cleaning detergents for food preparation equipment and facilities, and other supplies, are subject to a special control procedure to thoroughly ensure food safety.

Food Information Labeling

In accordance with the Food Sanitation Act , JAS Act, Health Promotion Act, Act Against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations and other laws, product labels must provide information on nutritional content, raw materials, allergens, packaging materials, and food additives. In terms of allergens in particular, Circle K Sunkus ensures that labels cover all “Seven Mandatory Disclosure Items” as well as the “18 Voluntary Disclosure Items.” Furthermore, Circle K Sunkus has strengthened its framework for ensuring safety and reliability by introducing a traceability* system that can trace and verify a product’s history through to raw material specifications for each product.

*Traceability (tracing of production and distribution history) refers to the process of recording the entire flow of products from production, distribution and stores, so as to facilitate the consumer's right to product information, and to help customers make better-informed purchasing decisions.

A Fine-tuned Distribution System that Ensures Taste and Freshness

Circle K Sunkus has a bulk delivery system whereby products in specific temperature ranges are delivered together to stores, thereby ensuring that the stores can offer a broad range of food products in a timely manner. Our distribution system involves collecting together products from different manufacturers at distribution centers, and then effecting the batch delivery of products in the same temperature range to stores. This process allows us to rigorously control product freshness while raising distribution efficiency. In addition, we have created a fine-tuned distribution system where the optimal delivery frequency and method has been determined for each product category.

            < Bulk delivery and joint delivery to Circle K and Sunkus Stores >

*Delica Supply System (DSS) Association: provides bulk purchasing and quality assurance for raw materials and so forth.