Food · Fermented foods

Sato-imo (Standard Japanese Taro)

さといも (Sato-imo)

Also known as: Sato-imo, Taro, Standard Japanese taro, Colocasia esculenta, 里芋

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At a glance

Category	Food
Japanese labeling name	さといも
Common Japanese notations	さといも, 里芋, サトイモ
Origin	Standard Japanese taro (Colocasia esculenta); the volume taro category for everyday cooking; principal modern domestic production regions Saitama, Chiba, Miyazaki, Ehime; multiple regional cultivars
Typical functions	Universal Japanese household cooking — nikkorogashi, imo-ni (Tohoku regional festival), Foodservice nimono and stews, Frozen retail volume convenience
Regulatory status in Japan	Standard agricultural product labeling. Origin disclosure (Saitama, Chiba, Miyazaki, Ehime, imported) appropriate. Not a designated allergen.

Sato-imo (さといも / 里芋) is the volume Japanese taro for everyday household cooking — distinct from premium yatsugashira (Osechi specialty) and takenokoimo. Saitama, Chiba, Miyazaki are major production regions. Imo-ni (Tohoku autumn festival) is the iconic regional preparation.

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Classification

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Product applications

Functions

Flavoring486

Regulatory tags

Culinary ingredient512

Origin

Plant-derived319

Common OEM product categories

Finished-product categories where Japanese OEM manufacturers commonly formulate with this ingredient.

Fresh whole sato-imo retail (year-round, autumn-winter peak)
Pre-peeled and pre-cooked frozen sato-imo (volume convenience format)

Ingredient profile

Colocasia esculenta standard Japanese taro.

OEM applications

Universal Japanese cooking — nikkorogashi, imo-ni, foodservice nimono.

For OEM: fresh retail, pre-peeled and pre-cooked frozen retail OEM.

Regulatory classification in Japan

Standard food labeling. Origin disclosure. Not a designated allergen.

Regulatory classification in other markets

EU	Imported as taro. Established global Asian-cuisine specialty.
USA	Established US taro retail.
China	Major Chinese taro production.
Korea	Established Korean toran tradition.

Market reference formulations

Example finished products will be added after verification of regional origin.

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Seasonality & supply calendar

Harvest months: September – December
Peak supply: November – December (peak retail demand for おでん season)
Off-season: January – August (frozen / processed for commercial supply)

Source: 農林水産省野菜生産出荷統計. Saitama / Chiba / Miyazaki / Ehime lead production.

Storage requirements

How the receiving OEM facility needs to handle inbound raw material.

Temperature: Storage 7–10°C; chilling injury below 5°C
Conditions: Soil-coated stores best; humidity 80–85%
Shelf life: Soil-on 2 months; cleaned 2 weeks chilled

Supply concentration

Where this ingredient comes from — useful for single-source-risk planning.

Primary regions: Saitama, Chiba, Miyazaki, Ehime
Import dependence: Domestic + Chinese / Vietnamese imports for processed

農林水産省野菜生産出荷統計

Certifications commonly available

Certification schemes commonly obtainable for this raw material. Always confirm the specific supplier's current certificate before contracting.

Scheme	Availability
Organic JAS	On-request
Halal	Inherent
Vegan	Inherent

Alternative ingredients

Related ingredients commonly evaluated as substitutes.

Quick answers

What is Sato-imo (Standard Japanese Taro)?: Sato-imo (さといも / 里芋) is the volume Japanese taro for everyday household cooking — distinct from premium yatsugashira (Osechi specialty) and takenokoimo. Saitama, Chiba, Miyazaki are major production regions. Imo-ni (Tohoku autumn festival) is the iconic regional preparation.
What is the regulatory status of Sato-imo (Standard Japanese Taro) in Japan?: Standard agricultural product labeling. Origin disclosure (Saitama, Chiba, Miyazaki, Ehime, imported) appropriate. Not a designated allergen.
What products typically use Sato-imo (Standard Japanese Taro)?: Fresh whole sato-imo retail (year-round, autumn-winter peak) / Pre-peeled and pre-cooked frozen sato-imo (volume convenience format)
Where does Sato-imo (Standard Japanese Taro) come from?: Standard Japanese taro (Colocasia esculenta); the volume taro category for everyday cooking; principal modern domestic production regions Saitama, Chiba, Miyazaki, Ehime; multiple regional cultivars
What is the INCI / JSCI labeling name for Sato-imo (Standard Japanese Taro)?: JSCI: さといも

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Same category

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Used in similar product applications

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Sharing similar functions

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From the same origin

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Japanese OEM factories whose published profile references this ingredient. Auto-detected from manufacturer descriptions; verify capabilities directly.

第一食品株式会社
新潟県Small lot

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Official regulatory databases

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MEXT 食品成分DB（検索） ↗

References

文部科学省 (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) Standard Tables of Food Composition — さといも各形態

Last updated: 2026-04-28. Ingredient entries are reviewed at least annually against current regulatory listings.