Middle Eastern Food Trading Company Develops Halal Japanese Sauce Series with Japanese OEM

"Al-Nihon Foods," a Dubai-based food trading company, has been importing and distributing Japanese food products in the Middle East for over 10 years. With the rapid growth of Japanese restaurants in the region, demand for Japanese seasonings that could be used at home had been increasing.

However, most existing Japanese-made seasonings lacked halal certification, with ingredients containing mirin (which includes alcohol) and animal-derived extracts — making them unsuitable for Muslim consumers. Al-Nihon Foods decided to develop a halal-compliant Japanese sauce series that authentically reproduces traditional Japanese flavors.

Through OEM JAPAN, they contacted 5 seasoning OEM manufacturers. Key selection criteria included:

• Halal certification (JAKIM or MUI) already obtained or obtainable
• Formulation technology to create rich umami flavors without mirin
• Capacity to develop 4 products simultaneously
• Export experience to Middle Eastern markets
• English or Arabic communication capability

Manufacturer F in Aichi Prefecture was selected. With JAKIM halal certification and extensive seasoning export experience to Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Middle East, Manufacturer F's proprietary fermentation technology could produce deep umami flavors without any alcohol — the decisive factor in the selection.

Four sauce varieties (teriyaki, ponzu, sesame dressing, and yakiniku sauce) were developed simultaneously. Manufacturer F's R&D team utilized halal-compliant alternative ingredients to recreate traditional Japanese flavors.

Phase	Duration	Details
Market Research & Recipe Design	1.5 months	Middle Eastern consumer taste research, halal alternative ingredient selection
Prototype 1-4	3 months	Simultaneous 4-product prototyping, taste testing in Dubai
Shelf-life & Safety Testing	1.5 months	Expiry date determination, microbiological testing, nutritional analysis
Packaging Design	1.5 months	Tri-lingual label design (Arabic, English, Japanese)
Production & Shipping	1.5 months	Manufacturing 3,000 bottles × 4 types, export documentation

The greatest technical challenge was developing the teriyaki sauce without mirin. Manufacturer F combined rice koji-derived sweetener with proprietary enzyme decomposition technology to achieve the characteristic "glaze" and "richness" without any alcohol. Consumer testing in Dubai — including Middle Eastern residents with experience living in Japan — rated it as "very close to the authentic taste."

The first lot was 3,000 bottles × 4 types (12,000 bottles total), manufactured on Manufacturer F's JAKIM halal-certified production line.

Quality control and export highlights:

• JAKIM certification halal logo displayed on all products
• Ingredient labeling prepared to comply with UAE ESMA (Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology) food safety standards
• Tri-lingual labels in Arabic, English, and Japanese
• Shelf-life testing conducted for high-temperature environments (40°C+)
• CIF export arrangements to Dubai's Jebel Ali port

Launched under the "Nihon Kitchen" brand, sales began in supermarkets across 6 Middle Eastern countries — UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain. The teriyaki sauce proved especially popular, with reorders placed within 3 months of launch.

Key takeaways from this project:

• Halal compliance starts at the formulation level: Beyond certification, verifying the halal status of every single ingredient is essential. Substituting mirin, cooking sake, and animal-derived extracts requires advanced formulation expertise
• High-temperature environment considerations: Shelf-life design must account for Middle Eastern logistics conditions (40°C+). Japanese domestic standards alone are insufficient
• Value of local taste testing: Having Dubai consumers taste-test during the prototyping phase enabled early corrections to flavor direction, minimizing costly rework

Al-Nihon Foods has ordered a second lot of 5,000 bottles per variety. Development of halal Japanese dressing and mentsuyu is also underway, with the goal of becoming the leading "halal Japanese food" brand in the Middle East.