SUSTAINABILITY Customer Relations

Efforts to Improve People's Health

Basic Concept

Lawson is committed to supporting healthy and long-lived lifestyles, something which is possible because it is a convenience store that is close to customers. We hope to be the kind of company that makes people feel confident in the knowledge that there is always a Lawson nearby.

We continue to help people in the community enjoy long and healthy lives by promoting the following two solutions: Meal Solutions for improving people’s physical health through daily eating habits, and Self-Medication Support for helping customers maintain good health by offering consultation services to those who are concerned about their own health if necessary.

In developing and marketing products, we aim to create greater tasting products while giving consideration to health based on 10 themes from our own standards, including products with which customers can intake nutritional components such as protein and dietary fiber to help solve their lifestyle issues. Meanwhile, we are working on the development of products that can help to control sugar, salt, and fat intake for customers who have physical issues such as obesity, diabetes, or metabolic syndrome. For example, we offer tasty and healthy food such as Bran Bread and other health-conscious meals that help improve ill health, as well as vegetables grown in mineral-rich soil.

Through these efforts, Lawson aims to increase sales of health-related products to 500 billion yen by 2025.

Ten themes underlying the development of health-conscious products

  • 1Eat vegetables and fruits
  • 2Get protein
  • 3Get dietary fiber
  • 4Eat foods with health claims
  • 5Low-carb
  • 6Low-salt
  • 7Low calories
  • 8Low-fat
  • 9Eat foods with good bacteria
  • 10Get quality sleep

Examples of Health-conscious Products

Low-carb and low-calorie Bran Bread

Bran Bread offers new value in the form of a staple food that is readily available, delicious, and low in carbs and calories. The product was developed in collaboration with THE TORIGOE CO., LTD., which holds patents in Japan, the U.S. and Europe for a technology that uses the outer layers of cereal grain to make bread with less sugar.
For an even more delicious bread, we have made improvements by reviewing the bran formula and manufacturing process. In 2016, we added lactic acid bacteria, and in 2018, we increased the amount of honey to make the bread more natural and easier to eat.

Bran is the hard outer layers of cereal grain, which contain fewer carbohydrates and more fiber than wheat flour.

Commitment to Providing Fresh Foods

Our fresh foods, such as healthy cut vegetables cultivated in a way that maintains the mineral balance of the soil, are popular among customers. At present, we continue to stock vegetables grown in soil that has been carefully selected for its mineral balance. In addition, Lawson Farms, which are joint ventures with leading local farmers, are being developed across Japan. We aim to establish a system that allows us to procure fresh vegetables year-round through a relay of production areas at Lawson Farms throughout the country.

▲ Lawson Farm Chiba

We aim to produce safe, secure and high quality vegetables and fruits by adopting the Nakashima method, which combines sound soil preparation technology based on soil diagnosis along with growth control technology to maintain the healthy growth of crops, and provides appropriate nutrients according to the nutrient balance (mineral balance) of the soil and the growth condition of the crops.

▲ Pre-cut vegetables

Development of health-conscious products

We develop a variety of original products, such as salads and vegetables that people will want to eat every day, various types of Bran Bread with reduced carbohydrate levels developed jointly with manufacturers, and chilled beverages and confectionaries under the Natural Lawson brand.

Rice with Barley,
Edamame & Salted Kelp

Enjoy the texture of edamame soybeans and the flavor of kelp while taking in the dietary fiber you tend to lack!

NL
Pearl Barley Milky Cream Balls (pack of 2)

Springy dough containing glutinous pearl barley flour filled with milk cream.
Not only is it low in carbohydrates, but it also provides a great source of dietary fiber.

Almond chocolate
(with inulin) 40g

This almond chocolate is great for those who are concerned about carbohydrates. One bag contains only 5.3 g of carbohydrates and 9.5 g of dietary fiber, which people tend to be deficient in.

NL
Green Smoothie 200g

This smoothie contains 118g of 12 kinds of vegetables (per serving), including kale and Peucedanum japonicum*, blended with apple and lemon for a pleasant taste.

* The daily intake target is 350g or more (according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's “Healthy Japan 21”).

Lawson's concept of Self-Medication Support (i.e., support for health management, disease prevention and treatment) includes the handling of pharmaceuticals and on-site health checkups in cooperation with local municipal governments.

Handling of medicines

Lawson is focusing on the sale of pharmaceutical products in order to provide convenience to customers in an aging society and to curb national healthcare costs. In regard to pharmacy services provided under health insurance, since 2003 we have been working on the development of stores with drug dispensing pharmacies on the premises with the aim of creating community pharmacies. In addition, from the perspective of promoting self-medication, we have been fostering alliances with drug dispensing pharmacies and drugstore chains throughout Japan, and handling over-the-counter medicine (non-prescription drugs) in our stores.
We were the first in Japan to start offering over-the-counter medicine through Uber Eats. We carry around 60 kinds of second and third class medicines, such as cold medicine, eye drops, and gastrointestinal medicine.

▲ LAWSON Yushima Ekimae Store (Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo)
A model store that achieves an optimal balance between a convenience store and a drugstore (photo taken at the time of opening)

▲ Drug dispensing pharmacy

▲ Handling of over-the-counter medicines through Uber Eats

On-site health checkups in cooperation with local municipal governments

As part of Self-Medication Support for helping customers maintain good health by offering consultation services to those who are concerned about their own health if necessary, we provide on-site health checkups and Machikado community health consultations in cooperation with local municipal governments. Health checkups, which were previously conducted at government offices and community centers, are now available at convenience stores, a more familiar and accessible location for residents.
Lawson will continue to promote health-related measures in each community while collaborating with local municipal governments.

▲ On-site health checkup in Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture

Health initiatives for employees

As a company that supports the healthy lifestyles of its customers, Lawson believes that it is important to start taking action from within our organization. As such, we and are working to improve the overall health of our employees in various ways.
As part of our efforts, we have been enhancing our employee health promotion measures since October 2012, and have been instructing employees who fall under the guidance criteria (areas where medical checkups are recommended) to undergo thorough medical examinations at a hospital.
Lawson is working together with Labor Union and Health Insurance Society to develop this program in order to raise awareness of health and motive employees to take care of themselves so that they can work in good health.

Health Management (Occupational Health and Safety)

In addition, through the Lawson Owner Welfare Association, which is operated in the spirit of mutual support among franchise stores, we offer subsidized health checkups and health support services to franchise store owners.

Lawson will continue to support the health of the communities in which we all live.

For more than 20 years, Lawson has been innovating on the basis of health, a matter which is of utmost concern to everyone in the community.

July 2001 The first NATURAL LAWSON STORE opens
December 2003 The first store with drug dispensing pharmacies on the premises opens
May 2005 Vegetables go on sale at LAWSON STORE 100 stores
June 2010 Lawson Farm Chiba established
August 2010 Lawson and Qol Co., Ltd. open a store with drug dispensing pharmacies on the premises opens
June 2012 Bread made with bran releases
March 2013 Business alliance formed with Daichi wo Mamoru Kai
March 2013 Lawson switches from frying oil to a healthier kind of oil for its in-store food preparation
August 2013 Acquires shares in Eisai Seikaken Co.,Ltd.
September 2013 The first CVS (HealthCare Lawson) opens, featuring pharmaceuticals and daily necessities
October 2013 Declaration of “community health hubs”
October 2013 Concludes a health promotion agreement with Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture, to provide on-site health checkups
November 2013 Begins selling pre-cut vegetables certified by the Mineral Growers' Association
March 2014 Machikado community health consultations are held in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, under a health promotion agreement
May 2014 New Bran Bread that contains rice bran in the dough of conventional Bran Bread is released
July 2014 Signs a health promotion agreement with Saga City, Saga Prefecture, to conduct specified health checkups in August
March 2015 Signs a health promotion agreement with Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture. Appointments for specified health checkups are accepted at three stores in the city.
April 2015 First store with a care center equipped with a nursing care consultation counter opens
January 2016 Signs an agreement on health promotion with Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto Mayors' Association, and Kyoto Towns and Villages Association
January 2017 Signs an agreement with Miyaki Town in Saga Prefecture to promote the health of the town's residents, in cooperation with MIZ Co., Ltd.
September 2017 Conducts cancer screening in Fukuchiyama City based on agreements signed with Kyoto Prefecture, etc.
November 2017 Launch of Bran Bread with a more moist and fluffier texture achieved by adding protein to the dough of conventional Bran Bread and other innovations in the ingredients and manufacturing process
August 2019 Machikado community health consultations held in Hokkaido
October 2019 Barley bread series is released as an assorted grains menu item with reduced sugar content that makes it easy to enjoy dietary fiber
November 2020 Barley bread is improved and relaunched as the glutinous barley bread series.
June 2021 Campaign is held to encourage people to stay healthy while eating what they like
May 2022 Introduced our 10 product development themes and held a campaign to encourage people to get their protein intake with our delicious products
July 2022 Campaign is held to encourage people to get their dietary fiber intake with our delicious products
August 2022 Campaign is held to encourage people to get their carbohydrates under control with our delicious products
November 2022 Opened a futuristic "Green Lawson" in Tokyo
May 2023 Developed a salad that uses linseed oil



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