
CSO Message
Leveraging a Passion for Food Inherited From Our Founder; Turning Diverse Business Strengths Into Energy for Sustainable Growth

Kyo Nishikawa
Managing Executive Officer and CSO
NISSIN FOODS HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
Reconsidering the Strengths and Challenges of the NISSIN FOODS Group From an External Perspective
I worked in banking for 28 years prior to joining NISSIN FOODS, gaining extensive experience overseas in Germany, the U.S., and Hong Kong before joining a global medical devices manufacturer, where I managed the European business for roughly six and a half years. These experiences helped me cultivate a knowledge of governance and human resources development, in addition to a global perspective on business.
Valuing this experience, NISSIN FOODS asked me to become a full-time outside member (independent director) of the Audit & Supervisory Board in June 2024. Before accepting the position of chief strategy officer, or CSO, I spent a year carefully observing the group’s business activities, including visits to subsidiaries and plants in Japan and overseas.
This is an era of great uncertainty, called by some the VUCA era (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity), and by some the BANI era (brittle, anxious, nonlinear, and incomprehensible). To survive in this environment, a company must have an unshakable core and unique strengths unrivaled by any other entity. Given this perspective, I am convinced that the NISSIN FOODS Group possesses distinct strengths and a strong core, as can be seen in the leadership of the founding family.
First, and foremost, is the overwhelming brand power represented by CUP NOODLE. The creativity that goes into marketing that “sticks” based on consumer preference data is not only the driving force behind the product’s No. 1 market share in Japan, but also an element that attracts talented people from outside the company. Add to this uniqueness a business portfolio balanced domestically and internationally. The Overseas Business, in particular, has grown remarkably and become an even more pronounced presence, now accounting for almost the majority of the group’s profits. Another major strength of the company has been the high level of innovation since our inception and the food tech that supports our efforts. The foundation of these advanced technologies are the valuable basic technologies accumulated over the years that serve as a powerful backing behind the value of the NISSIN FOODS Group products.
At the very root of these strengths lies the strong leadership of top management and a corporate culture that permeates our organization on a global scale. A strength of the company that I personally feel is the passion that has continued in a direct line from our founder to the present. This passion stems from our belief in the importance of food, as symbolized by our slogans of recent years, Planetary Health and Human Well-being. We are committed to tackling social issues head-on, and we aspire to redefine food and health through the Optimized Nutri-Dense Meals project.
That our founder’s influence has penetrated deep into our organization is evidenced by the fact that the employee empathy level with the group’s Mission, Vision, and Value surpassed 80% in the FY 3/2025 survey. This high level of buy-in is a source of energy fueling our shift to aggressive management in times of change, and is perhaps the greatest strength of the NISSIN FOODS Group.
Refining Overseas Strategies Further for Sustainable Growth

The current goal of the NISSIN FOODS Group is to achieve sustainable growth while solving environmental and social issues as an EARTH FOOD CREATOR. Expanding and refining our global strategy is what I believe will be most important if we are to maximize corporate value for sustainable growth.
To grow sales and raise profits in the Overseas Business will require a growth strategy that stretches across the U.S. and all regions, including Brazil and Europe. As we monitor factors that include medium- to long-term market growth and our competition, we will identify the needs of the consumer, focusing not only on the “where,” but also on the “how” for expanding our businesses and refining our execution strategy.
Having said that, the Overseas Business entails challenges that include the need to gain a deep understanding of the specific differences between countries and regions in terms of language, food culture, tastes, preferences, and even business customs. We must seek to develop business tailored to each country or region. And as the scale of our business continues to expand, supply chain management (SCM) will become increasingly important. Our skills in SCM will have a significant impact on profit margins. The NISSIN FOODS Group is strengthening SCM structurally through a Supply Chain Platform, created in April 2025 with the integration of procurement and logistics. We also named a chief supply chain officer (CSCO), who will be an important part of strengthening SCM in our organization. In the future, we intend to form a dedicated team within the Overseas Business to work on global SCM for improved operational efficiency and profitability.
As expansion in the Overseas Business accelerates, we will be fully engaged in restructuring our organization, human resources, and governance worthy of this stage of globalization. In terms of governance, we must clarify the location of risks associated with business expansion, managing in detail those non-negotiables such as safety, quality, and compliance through consistent adherence to the basics, regardless of region or business. At the same time, we must exercise governance that balances respect for local values and diversity. To this end, the NISSIN FOODS Group appointed a chief governance officer (CGO) in April 2024, as part of a reorganized governance structure. We are reinforcing management from our headquarters in Japan, and optimizing the operations of each function, including brand development, marketing, development, and production in overseas locations.
In terms of organization, we are preparing to create the Regional Headquarters of Americas in the Americas, where business growth has been remarkable. This new structure will follow the example of RHQ Asia in Thailand. This approach will help us create an optimal organization across a wide geographical area, fostering speedy local decision-making, the sharing of knowledge and experience accumulated throughout the group, and risk management on a global level.
Of course, we view human resources development as one of the most critical management challenges. As the speed of business growth accelerates, it is essential to reinforce the quality and quantity of human resources to ensure growth is sustainable, and we intend to raise the level of our talent management skills. Consistent efforts in DE&I and in creating environments where diverse human resources can find their own place and work to their heart’s content will be a must. The next step will be to ensure employees worldwide share the aforementioned passion of our founder and feel confident that they are an important part of the NISSIN family. Upon this foundation, we want to instill four ideals important to the group: Immersing ourselves in creative, unique endeavors, and operating on a global scale to bring joy to people across the world through our food. We must find people who will practice the NISSIN 10 Rules, including Create with your own hands. Restructure it if someone is to overcome it. and Challenge the impossible, and break through barriers. As we increase the number of employees who create small innovations in their daily work, we will achieve success not only overseas, but with the sustainable growth of the entire group.

Consistently Implementing the Three Elements of Our Long-Term Growth Strategy
NISSIN FOODS performance in FY 3/2025 showed ongoing solid growth, as we posted record highs in revenue and core operating profit of existing businesses. We have seen remarkable growth over the past few years. Given the current uncertain external environment, we believe we are now in a phase that will test our real capabilities to see if we can step up to the next level. While we are still investing actively in production facilities in Japan and overseas, we must increase investments further in product and sales capabilities, raising the utilization rate of our new plants and other production bases.
To date, we have been making solid progress on the three strategies of our Mid- to Long-term Growth Strategy 2030, which we began in FY 3/2022.
We view the Overseas Business as the growth engine to strengthen the cash-generating capacity of existing businesses, our first strategy. We will do our utmost to meet our growth expectations overseas. The Domestic Instant Noodles Business is the core of the NISSIN FOODS Group. Here, we will refine our skills in brand-building and marketing while maintaining stable growth. We intend to increase the contribution of the Non-Instant Noodles Business to profits by developing brands nurtured in Japan into global businesses.
The second is our EARTH FOOD CHALLENGE 2030 environmental strategy. Heading toward 2030, we are pursuing quantitative targets related to our climate change response and the effective use of resources, aiming to create sustainable societies and enhance corporate value. I discuss this area in greater detail in the next section.
The third strategy—Pursue New Businesses—focuses on the development of KANZEN MEAL. We have already begun overseas expansion for this product line, testing sales of KANZEN MEAL frozen pasta in the U.S. market, where health consciousness continues to rise. I had the opportunity to taste the products in the U.S., and I experienced the excitement on the front lines of our business, taking on the challenge of a new concept and a promising market.
Mid- to Long-Term Growth Strategy

Stepping Up ESG and Sustainability Initiatives to Balance Creating Sustainable Societies and Enhancing Corporate Value
Creating economic and social value through our businesses from a medium- to long-term perspective is essential for the NISSIN FOODS Group to grow sustainably. This understanding is why ESG and sustainability initiatives are not simply a response to risk. These initiatives are true business issues that are vital if we are to continue to operate for the next 50 to 100 years. In FY 3/2025, we implemented the EARTH FOOD CHALLENGE 2030 environmental strategy conscientiously, while strengthening quantitative analysis of ESG impacts and compliance with various disclosure regulations.
Under the EARTH FOOD CHALLENGE 2030 environmental strategy, the group is making steady progress toward our FY 3/2031 targets. Our focus is on reducing CO2 emissions as a response to climate change and procuring palm oil sustainably as an effective use of resources.
Quantifying ESG impact is a task we have been working on since FY 3/2022, aiming to visualize the relationship between ESG initiatives and corporate value. One typical approach is to create a value correlation chart that shows how ESG initiatives lead to the improvement of corporate value. By incorporating measures in FY 3/2025 in each of the ESG areas (environment, social, governance), we demonstrated the link between ESG activities and corporate value more comprehensively and persuasively.
Value Correlation - E (Environment) Domain -
As an example of this story, the blue arrows show the route by which our CO2 reduction efforts under EARTH FOOD CHALLENGE 2030 contribute to improved EPS through external communications, improved reputation, and increased sales.

In terms of compliance with disclosure regulations, we are preparing to comply with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) in Europe and the Sustainability Standards Board of Japan (SSBJ) standards, among others. We have also established a representative office in the Netherlands to ensure more timely compliance with European sustainability regulations.
To understand the impact of the NISSIN FOODS Group business activities on biodiversity, we conducted a nature-related risk and opportunity assessment. We based the assessment on the framework published by the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and used the LEAP approach*2.
- A process proposed by the TNFD to assess nature-related risks and opportunities systematically on a scientific basis. As part of our preparation for TNFD information disclosures, we selected the scope of analysis using the four-step LEAP approach, which consists of (1) Locate connections with nature, (2) Evaluate to diagnose nature-related dependencies and impacts, (3) Assess significant nature-related risks and opportunities, and (4) Prepare to address these risks and opportunities and report them to stakeholders.
Growth Mindset as the Driving Force Behind NISSIN FOODS Group Growth

At every point in my long career, I have believed in the growth mindset. The growth mindset is the idea that a person’s abilities are not innately fixed, but can develop through experience and effort. At the opposite end of the spectrum is the fixed mindset, which believes that the upper limit of ability is fixed at birth. Everyone has conflicting feelings in his or her mind, but by being keenly aware of the growth mindset, one can feel the joy of acquiring new knowledge, accomplishing new tasks, and growing as an individual.
I want to share and instill this idea among the employees of the NISSIN FOODS Group. The key to a growth mindset is not to feel depressed about or try to hide failures, but to think of failure as an opportunity to improve the next time. To learn based on experience (learn from one’s mistakes) and to actively seek advice from those nearby about how to improve (learn from others). In this way, we accelerate individual growth, and the growth of each individual leads to the growth of the organization.
It is truly an exciting experience for me to serve as CSO for a company such as NISSIN FOODS. The challenges are many and varied, and some are certainly daunting, but the core strengths of the NISSIN FOODS Group—our world-class philosophy, strong brands, and great people—will win out. As we make the most of these strengths as a company, I want to contribute to the further growth of the group by taking on new challenges every day, learning from my own mistakes and learning from others as I continue my path of personal development.

VALUE REPORT
2025
WHO
is the NISSIN FOODS Group?[4.05MB]
- Group Philosophy
- Social Value Creation History
- NISSIN FOODS Group Today
- Value Creation Process
- Six Capitals of the NISSIN FOODS Group
- Core Strengths of the NISSIN FOODS Group
WHAT
are our goals?[2.77MB]
- CEO Message
- COO Message
- Our Material Issues
HOW
will we achieve our goals?[18.2MB]
- CSO Message
- CFO Message
- CIO Message
- Mid- to Long-Term Growth Strategy 2030
- Growth Strategy 1 Strengthen Cash Generation
Capabilities of Existing Businesses
- Domestic Instant Noodles Business
- Domestic Non-Instant Noodles Business
- Domestic Topics
- Overseas Business
- The Americas—U.S.
- The Americas—Brazil/China (Incl. H.K.)
- Asia/EMEA
- Growth Strategy 2 EARTH FOOD CHALLENGE 2030
- Challenge to Address Climate Change
- Challenge to Effectively Use Resources
- Growth Strategy 3 Pursue New Businesses
- Multifaceted Optimized Nutri-Dense Technologies
- Expanding KANZEN MEAL From Japan to the World
- Fundamental Research for Optimized Nutri-Dense Meals
- Expanding Human Capital
- Health and Productivity Management and Human Rights Initiatives
- Outside Director Panel Discussion
- Corporate Governance
- Board of Directors and Audit & Supervisory Board Members
Data [514KB]
- Financial Summary
- Non-Financial Summary / Major External Evaluations
- Global Instant Noodle Market Data
- Company and Stock Information