Risk Management

Risk Management

The Nichirei Group has set up the Group Risk Management Committee, chaired by the Representative Director, President, to manage the various risks associated with its business activities, in the most appropriate and rational ways from a comprehensive standpoint, and to maximize the Group’s enterprise value. The committee identifies and evaluates Group-wide risks and Nichirei and its business companies respond to these risks on their own accord, based on the established risk management cycle. Important items are reported to the Board of Directors of Nichirei Corporation, the holding company, which considers the response.
We have also established and implement the Nichirei Group internal control systems to facilitate operational effectiveness and staff ability, ensure the accuracy of financial reports, comply with laws and regulations pertinent to our business, and to protect assets.

Organizational Structure

Believing that the actions of each employee count in preventing a number of risks, Nichirei devised a Code of Conduct comprising 12 articles (revised in 2014). The code involves compliance and ethical behavior regarding the environment, society, and governance. It is designed to minimize, thorough awareness, the risk of compliance infractions and other issues.
The Group Risk Management Committee identifies and evaluates risks, while running a risk management system for the Group. Any significant risks identified by the risk management process are reported to the holding company’s board of directors for discussion.

Organizational Structure
Business Continuity Plan Initiatives

The Nichirei Group undertakes to ensure ongoing support for the food supply chain.
If we are able to establish systems that can sustainably and quickly restore the food supply chain, we believe that we will serve society as an invaluable corporate group. We thus are working to strengthen our risk management system and build a comprehensive business continuity plan (BCP).

Employee Safety

Group Countermeasures Headquarters in Response to COVID-19

In January 2020, we set up the Group Countermeasures Headquarters in response to COVID-19. In addition to collecting and sharing information throughout the Group, between January and July 2020 we sent out, on the Company intranet, 24 messages with instructions regarding work systems and infection prevention measures. We are creating a crisis management system to strike a balance between the prevention of infection and the need for our employees to engage in business activities.

Confirming Safety in Emergency Situations

The Nichirei Group has introduced a company-wide safety confirmation system using a dedicated website. In the event of a disaster, such as an earthquake with an intensity of five or higher, emails will be sent to each employee to check whether they are safe, and relevant local information will be provided immediately on the website. The system allows for the rapid collection and sharing of information.

Enhancing Logistics Core System BCP

As part of its risk management, the Nichirei Logistics Group has been enhancing its BCP support for its logistics core system since February 2018.
Assuming the possibility of damage to the data center, where operations are heavily concentrated, we created a disaster recovery (DR) system to enable rapid business continuity. In the event of a large-scale disaster, we would be able to quickly resume operations through the use of two bases that switch from the system at our main site to the DR site.
Approximately one hour would be needed from the activation of the system until an online restart would be possible. This is designed to ensure that customer businesses and food distribution are not affected.
We plan to implement advanced initiatives as a food logistics lifeline in order to contribute to the business continuity of our business partners.

Quality Assurance

The Nichirei Group has put in place a fundamental policy for quality assurance, based on the Group’s business management philosophy. Our goals are to ensure the quality and safety of all Nichirei Group products and services—so that they will not be hazardous to the health of our consumers—as well as to maintain and improve the standards of quality management, quality assurance, and customer satisfaction.
Following incidents of food intentionally having been tainted with foreign substances, we have adopted a protective approach in our food hygiene practices and amended relevant policies. We now have in place a system that would enable us quickly to put out accurate information in the event of a health-threatening incident.
In order to verify and evaluate the valid functioning of our approach, we employ internal quality management system audits and factory quality inspections. If a problem is discovered, we put into motion a PDCA cycle, which encourages rectification of any difficulties and works to achieve even greater improvement.

Intellectual Property Rights

The Nichirei Group complies with laws and regulations regarding intellectual property, and respects the intellectual property rights of others. From this foundation, we pursue originality, and conduct intellectual property-related activities to provide better products and services.

For example, we take action to acquire rights to those products of our R&D program from which we can derive appropriate added value through patent rights. Further, to protect the brand that guarantees the quality of our products, we diligently maintain the trademark rights that indicate our products and services.

Nichirei also provides employees with learning opportunities, to enhance their knowledge and reinforce the appropriate measures vis-a-vis intellectual property rights. We conduct e-learning for all employees and courses open to the public, to provide opportunities for everyone to have the necessary facts regarding intellectual property. Employees who require further knowledge or have an interest can schedule individual follow-up sessions with intellectual property specialists, or obtain a referral to attend a particular study session, all of which helps foster sensitivity to intellectual property rights.

Information Security and Protection of Personal Information

Based on the advice of the Group Risk Management Committee, the Group has established a basic policy regarding information security measures for all Group companies and employees to observe. It provides the level of information management currently demanded by society, as well as effectiveness and efficiency in the operations of Group companies.
We have established a plan-do-check-action management cycle, to ensure 1) personal and organizational security; 2) physical security; and 3) technical security. In addition, to clarify the system of responsibility for the protection of personal information, each company has designated a chief privacy officer and manager responsible for handling personal information.

Social Media Policy

Nichirei Corporation has determined the appropriate attitudes and actions in the operation of official social media accounts. Social media allows users to communicate with each other based on personal transmissions using the Internet and web-based technologies.