SSBW symposium attendees in Bangkok, with "no one left behind at the table" as the guiding theme (©JAPAN Forward by Mika Sugiura)
Japan and Thailand are advancing research in sensory science to improve well-being through food. While Japan is known a leading super-aging society, Thailand is a country where aging is progressing even faster. In late January 2026, the "Sensory Science for Better Well-Being" (SSBW) symposium was held in Bangkok. Attended by 120 researchers, industry leaders, and nutritionists, the event proposed linking sensory science insights to pressing social issues.
Established in 2022 with support from the Ajinomoto Group, SSBW aims to share the latest findings on how information gathered through the five senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste) influences preferences and emotions.
Coke vs Pepsi: Is Preference Driven by Memory?
During the symposium, Dr Nobuyuki Sakai, a professor at Tohoku University, pointed out that aging leads to declines in taste and smell, which can reduce hunger and appetite. He further explained that an increasing number of older adults are living alone and eating in isolation, which also diminishes motivation to eat.
In addition, he noted that many convenient commercial food products are designed for younger generations, while older adults tend to avoid unfamiliar foods.
Dr Sakai introduced an intriguing comparative study of Coca-Cola and Pepsi. When brain activity was monitored via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during consumption, Coca-Cola triggered strong activation in areas like the hippocampus, which governs memory. While Pepsi's design has changed over time, Coke's branding has remained consistent for years and is often linked to positive emotions through advertisements like those featuring Santa Claus.
"For the elderly, familiar tastes and smells provide a sense of security and improve well-being," Sakai stated, emphasizing that "nostalgia" is a vital key to stimulating appetite in older populations.
Japan's Food Education
Dr Hisayuki Uneyama, Director of the NPO Umami Information Center, explained why Japan's health policies attract international attention: "It is because Japan maintained low obesity rates even during a period of rapid economic growth."
He credited the country's shokuiku (food education) system, in which school lunches center on Japanese cuisine based on dashi (stock) and umami. This fosters healthy eating habits from childhood, forming the foundation for well-being and longevity.
A session on "Policy Dialogue," chaired by Dr Kraisid Tontisirin, Senior Advisor to the Thai Royal Family on Nutrition, focused on Thailand's food policies and the role of corporations.
Thailand established its National Food Committee in 2008 to integrate food security, safety, nutrition, and management. The country has also mandated nutrition labeling for fats, salts, and sugars, and a sugar tax is applied to drinks containing more than 6g of sugar per 100ml.
Challenges in Redesigning Food
While this pressures companies to reformulate products, the issue is complex. Dr Itkor Pichet, Secretary General of the Food and Beverage Industry Club of the Federation of Thai Industries remarked, "Diabetes isn't caused by sugar alone. Even if consumption drops, incidence rates don't necessarily fall."
Also, reformulating products is difficult. If the cost of change is passed on to the consumer, it may discourage buying. If healthy products don't sell, they are eventually phased out.
Furthermore, salt overconsumption is a major challenge. Thailand is currently considering a sodium tax, but it remains a sensitive subject.
In a telling anecdote, a workshop on a sodium tax was held next door to the symposium. When Dr Pichet tried to enter, he was denied access. Dr Uneyama suggested this was likely because he represented an industry group, noting that food environment regulation often creates tension between regulators and those being regulated, effectively creating a significant divide between the public and private sectors.
Meanwhile, in Japan, the "Strategic Initiative for a Healthy and Sustainable Food Environment" is being advanced through collaboration among government, industry, and academia to promote salt reduction.
As part of efforts to realize this initiative, the National Institute of Health and Nutrition, which serves as a research hub, is promoting joint projects involving industry through public–private–academic partnerships. Dr Uneyama expressed hope that the activities of SSBW would provide an opportunity for both Japan and Thailand to learn from each other's approaches.
Building the Food Environment
In Thailand, the local Ajinomoto Foundation is supporting the construction of lunch facilities in public elementary schools.
"Better meals for children create a brighter future and a stronger nation," said the foundation's Vice President Sornchai Kusonjai. Since 2010, the foundation has supported 180 schools as of 2025 and is now shifting its focus from physical infrastructure to implementing nutrition education programs.
The financial sector is also beginning to move into the well-being space. Hiroaki Sakai, Vice President of the Bank of Ayudhya (Krungsri), Thailand's fifth-largest bank by assets, said, "It is possible that we may see a future where healthier individuals receive lower interest rates." As a first step, the bank has introduced a health management app developed by a Japanese company for its employees and is considering how the resulting data might be utilized.
Food as a Universal Language
Discussions on salt reduction and nutrition alone cannot change human behavior for the better. Dr Nattasuda Taephant, Associate Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Psychology at Chulalongkorn University and organizer of the symposium, offered her perspective. "Food is not just sustenance. It is a universal language — a way for people to share time and connect. That is where well-being lies."
Thailand's share of the population aged 65 and over reached 15% in 2023 and is projected to exceed 35% by 2050 — reflecting a much faster pace of aging than Japan experienced. As both countries confront the challenges of aging societies and seek to pass on a healthier legacy to the next generation, attention is turning to policy grounded in the sensory science of food.
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Author: Mika Sugiura
