Non-Dairy Margarine and Butter
Vegan Cheese
Non-Dairy Cream
Non-Dairy Yogurts
Almond Yogurt
Coconut Yogurt
Rice Yogurt
Soy Yogurt
Non-Dairy Yogurt Starters
In Japan you can find many plant-based dairy alternatives, including plant-based margarine, soy yogurt, and soy cream. While soy yogurt is fairly widely available, it may take a bit of a search to find some of the other product types, particularly vegan cheese, or you may consider ordering online. Below are some examples of the products available.
Some foods contain flavoring and emulsifiers which may be animal-derived or sugar that may be bone-char processed. We have marked below wherever we have information on how these ingredients were made.
NON-DAIRY MARGARINE AND BUTTER
Vegan margarine is not the easiest thing to find in Japan, but there are a few options. We’ve listed them below. As always, dairy products and gelatin are the problem. Here is an example of regular margarine containing gelatin/ゼラチン/zerachin (the third ingredient):
Meiji’s Cake Margarine contains pork-based emulsifier per their customer service.
Actually, on the website, the ingredients say 乳化剤（大豆由来）(Emulsifier-soy derived). Per the company’s customer service, that does not imply that it’s only soy emulsifier, just that soy emulsifier is included, which is information they have to include for people who have allergies. This product contains both pig and soy emulsifier.
• Meiji Cake Margarine/明治ケーキマーガリン. Ingredients: Edible vegetable oils and fats, edible refined processed fats and oils/emulsifiers (derived from soybeans), flavoring, colorants (β-carotene).
Below are margarines and butters that appear not to contain animal ingredients from the ingredient lists, or are explicitly sold as vegan.
Boso A-1 Soft Margarine can be purchased online, although it may not be possible to find it in stores.
• Boso A-1 Soft Margarine. Ingredients: Rapeseed oil, edible refined processed fats and oils (rapeseed), salt, emulsifier (derived from rapeseed), flavor.
The product was created for people with soy allergies. This product does not contain eggs, dairy, or soy, and care is taken during the manufacturing process.
The package says “植物性,” meaning plant-derived, and “牛乳を含まない商品,” meaning the product does not contain milk. The rapeseed oil is not genetically modified and is pressed in Australia.
The margarine is white because no coloring is used.
Online purchase link: Rakuten Ichiba
The Kyoto 100% vegan and gluten-free cheese restaurant CHOICE has handmade, small batch fermented vegan butter spread in hard or soft versions for sale online. The required frozen shipping is not cheap, but the quality of their products is exceptional. They sometimes sell their products at vegan food festivals.
The hard type of the product is marked as a new product on the CHOICE website as of February 2021.
• CHOICE’s Fromage Fermented Vegan Butter Spread, Hard/発酵ヴィーガンバター スプレッド ハード. Ingredients: Organic edible coconut oil (Philippines), raw organic cashew nuts (India), organic coconut milk (Thailand), organic soymilk (domestic) (soybeans (US/China) not genetically modified), edible rapeseed oil (domestic) (rapeseed (Australia) not genetically modified) ・ natural salt ・ organic blue agave/sunflower lecithin ・ nutritional yeast ・ turmeric ・ lactic acid bacteria (derived from soybeans).
Product includes soybeans and cashew nuts.
Products containing peanuts and soba are manufactured at the same facility and with the same cooking utensils.
Online purchase link: CHOICE website
Photo from website.
• CHOICE’s Fromage Fermented Vegan Butter Spread, Soft/発酵ヴィーガンバター スプレッド ソフト. Ingredients: Raw organic cashew nuts (India), organic coconut milk (Thailand), organic edible coconut oil (Philippines), organic edible palm oil (Philippines), organic soymilk (domestic) (soybeans (America/China) not genetically modified), rapeseed oil (domestic) (rapeseed (Australia) not genetically modified), organic blue agave, natural salt/sunflower lecithin, nutritional yeast, lactic acid bacteria (derived from soybeans)
Product includes soybeans and cashew nuts.
Products containing peanuts and soba are manufactured at the same facility and with the same cooking utensils.
Online purchase link: CHOICE website
Photo from website.
The Marin Food My Tasty Vegan Soft can sometimes be found at Aeon supermarkets.
• Marin Food My Tasty Vegan Soft (English). Ingredients: Digestion resistant dextrin(Domestic manufacturing), Vegetable oil, Refined oils and fats processing, Salt / Emulsifier, Flavors, Food coloring(Carotene).
From its website: “Allergen: None (We produce this product at the same facility where we also use milk and soybean, but we practice thorough cleaning before producing this product).”
“It is a healthy vegan spread that does not use animal origin ingredients nor use 28 allergenic ingredients.
It has reduced cholesterol, and 60% less calories compared to soft-type margarine products based on the standard tables of food composition in Japan.
Dietary fibers that are difficult to take with the ordinary diet are included in this vegan soft.”
There is more information about the Marin Food vegan series of products (cheese, margarine and hotcakes) on its website (English).
Online purchase links: Green’s Vegetarian, Marin Food online shop (one-pack), Marin Food online shop (three-pack)
Photo from the Marin Food website.
Marin Food Fresh Vegetable Margarine packets are available for online purchase in the vegan section of the Marin Food online shop. The product page specifically says it does not use any animal ingredients and is suitable for vegans (and does not use the 27 specified allergenic ingredients) and the product says vegan in Japanese on the package, vīgan/ヴィーガン.
• Marin Food Fresh Vegetable Margarine/フレッシュマリン植物性マーガリン 8g（小袋型）. Ingredients: Edible vegetable oils (domestically produced), edible refined processed oils, salt/flavoring, emulsifier, coloring agent (carotene).
Online purchase link: Marin Food online shop
Photo from website.
Marin Food Plant Butter is also available for online purchase in the vegan section of the Marin Food online shop.
• Marin Food Plant Butter/マリンフード植物バター．Ingredients: Edible vegetable oil (domestically produced), edible refined and processed oil, fermented seasoning, salt, coconut paste, yeast extract/emulsifier, flavoring, coloring (carotene).
Product contains soybeans.
Naturli Organic Vegan Block can be purchased online, although it may not be possible to find it in stores.
• Naturli Organic Vegan Block. Ingredients (from Naturli website (English)): Organic Shea oil (43%), water, organic coconut oil (21%), organic rapeseed oil (11%), salt, organic ALMOND BUTTER* (1%), emulsifier * (lecithin), organic carrot juice, organic lemon juice, natural flavour.
May contain traces of: Hazelnut, cashew nut and pistachio nut.
Online purchase links: Bio c’ Bon, Shochiku-en Vegan Foods, Tengu Natural Foods (Alishan) (English)
Photo from Naturli website.
Bio c’ Bon grocery stores stock Naturli Vegan Spreadable. As of mid-2021, there are Bio c’ Bon stores in Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture (Yokohama, Kawasaki and Fujisawa).
• Naturli Vegan Spreadable. Ingredients (from Naturli website (English)): Organic rapeseed oil (39%), water, organic coconut oil (22%), organic shea butter oil (13%), organic ALMOND BUTTER (2%), salt, emulsifier (sunflower lecithin), organic carrot juice, organic lemon juice, natural flavour.
May contain traces of: Hazelnut, cashew and pistachio.
Online purchase links: Bio c’ Bon, Shochiku-En Vegan Foods, Tengu Natural Foods (Alishan) (English)
Costco in Japan stocks Nuttelex. It’s necessary to have a membership to shop there. However, it may be possible to purchase it via Honestbee or The Flying Pig by request. Another version of this product made with canola and palm oils instead of olive oil is also available on Amazon Japan.
• Nuttelex Buttery Spread with Olive Oil
Nuttelex Buttery Spread with Olive Oil is selling for 438 jpy for 1 kg at Costco as of August 2019. Marked “vegetarian and vegan” on the back of the package. Does not contain milk, lactose, gluten, soy, nut oils, or genetically modified ingredients. Uses cholesterol-free oils and natural flavors and colors. Contains vitamin D.
Online purchase link: Amazon Japan
Below is an example of a vegan margarine found in some specialty and health food stores.
• Sokensha Fermented Soymilk Margarine/発酵豆乳入りマーガリン. Ingredients: Edible vegetable oil (safflower oil), refined edible oil (palm oil), fermented soymilk (fermented with plant lactic acid bacteria), salt/lecithin (from non-genetically modified soybeans), antioxidant (tocotrienol).
Package says mixed RSPO certified sustainable palm oil and 100% plant-based ingredients are used.
Online purchase link: Green’s Vegetarian
Shigezo is a tofu shop with its own line of products, some of which appear not to have animal ingredients from a review of the ingredient lists. The store has branches in Tokyo and Niigata, Ibaraki, Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa Prefectures. Find the shop list here. The products are also available to order online. Check our Vegan Cheese section below for information on their mozzarella and cream-cheese style products and our Non-Dairy Cream section further down this page for information on their fresh cream-style tofu product.
• Shigezo Soy Milk Butter/茂蔵 豆乳バター . Ingredients: Vegetable oil, soymilk cream, soymilk, soybean flour, salt.
Product contains soybeans.
Online purchase link: Yahoo Japan Shopping
Photo from Shigezo’s Yahoo Japan Shopping store.
This Vegan Society certified Violife Viobutter was found in a branch of OK Supermarket in Kanto in September 2021. You may also be able to find it in Aeon grocery stores in Kanto. It seems to not yet be distributed in other areas of Japan. The package says that it does not use milk or nuts/乳原料・ナッツ不使用. The ingredient list given here is a translated version of the Japanese ingredient list.
• Violife Viobutter/ビオライフ 植物生まれの“ビオバター”. Ingredients: Edible refined and processed oil, edible vegetable oil, salt, broad bean protein, glucose/emulsifier, flavoring, carotenoid pigment, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B1, folic acid, vitamin D, vitamin B12.
VEGAN CHEESE
Smoked tofu is not always vegan, but occasionally you might spot some that appears not to have animal ingredients. While not exactly cheese, it would go well with crackers, etc.
This Field of Cheese smoked tofu was spotted in a small shop in Kanazawa and may be available elsewhere in Japan. Note the other flavors may not be vegan. The “ishiri” flavor is made with squid per the Field of Cheese website. The Stoock website says it’s smoked with cherry wood and charcoal for twenty hours.
• Field of Cheese – Smoked Tofu (Salt Flavored)/くんせいとうふ 畑のチーズ. Ingredients: Domestic soybeans, natural bittern (nigari), deep water sea salt.
Online purchase link: Stoock
Japan also has a unique creation called tofu misozuke. It originated in Fukuoka Prefecture and is basically tofu that has been aged and cured in miso for at least 2 months, and up to 2 years. It can be made with a few variations to produce different ‘cheeses.’ It can be hard to find in Japan, but you can make it yourself if you find a recipe online.
The following product appears to be a sort of tofu misozuke or similar to one, but made with shimadofu (Okinawan island tofu), a firm tofu product. It was spotted in a branch of Natural Lawson in July 2020.
• Tofu no Hiroshiya Just Like Cheese Island Tofu, Smoked/とうふのひろし屋 麹×燻製まるでチーズな島どうふ（スモーク）. Ingredients: Tofu (produced in Okinawa Prefecture), miso, koji, rice, sugar, kombu extract, tofu coagulant.
Product contains soybeans.
Online purchase link: Rakuten Ichiba
There are some additional flavors that don’t show obvious animal ingredients in the ingredient list available for online purchase.
• Tofu no Hiroshiya Just Like Cheese Island Tofu, Basil/とうふのひろし屋 麹×燻製まるでチーズな島どうふ（バジル）. Ingredients: Tofu (produced in Okinawa Prefecture), olive oil, basil, miso, koji, rice, sugar, kelp extract, tofu coagulant (magnesium chloride).
Product includes soybeans.
Online purchase link: Rakuten Ichiba
Photos from Rakuten Ichiba.
• Tofu no Hiroshiya Just Like Cheese Island Tofu, Black Pepper/とうふのひろし屋 麹×燻製まるでチーズな島どうふ（ブラックペッパー）. Ingredients: Tofu (produced in Okinawa Prefecture), olive oil, black pepper, miso, koji, rice, sugar, kelp extract, coagulant for tofu (magnesium chloride).
Product includes soybeans.
Online purchase link: Rakuten Ichiba
Photos from Rakuten Ichiba.
There are also more traditional vegan cheese options on the market.
The following product by the company Akafuji says “Komewarada” on the top of the package in English lettering. According to their website, the company also seems to run a chain of shops called 0.6 Rice Bran Oil (that sell vegan options).
The Akafuji website also states that it’s plant-based (植物性) and that it contains none of the 28 allergenic substances (specified ingredients, etc./アレルギー物質(特定原材料等)28品目は一切使用していません).
• Akafuji SD Cheeze, shredded/Akafuji お米でとろ～りとろける シュレッドタイプ. Ingredients: Rice powder (domestically produced), vegetable oil, starch hydrolyzate, hydrolyzed protein (derived from rice), salt, powdered sake lees. Additives: Stabilizer (guar gum), pH adjuster, flavoring.
Photos taken in November 2022.
The Kyoto 100% vegan and gluten-free cheese restaurant CHOICE has handmade, small batch vegan cheeses for sale online and in their restaurant, with the exception of seasonal flavors like cherry blossom and pure pepper. Seasonal flavors may only be available online. The required frozen shipping is not cheap, but the quality of their products is exceptional. Staff learned cheesemaking from Miyoko Schinner of Miyoko’s Kitchen, the American vegan cheese company. They sometimes sell their products at vegan food festivals. We recommend the koto.
The following photos are courtesy of CHOICE.
• CHOICE’s Fromage, Smoky/CHOICE’s Fromage スモーキー. Ingredients (raw materials): Cashew nuts, nutritional yeast, rapeseed oil, white miso, agar agar, natural salt, sunflower lecithin, tapioca powder, xanthan gum, smoke solution, lactic acid bacteria (derived from grain), turmeric. (Name of additive used and its purpose): Agar agar(coagulant), tapioca flour (coagulant), nutritional yeast (seasoning), sunflower lecithin (emulsifier), xanthan gum (thickener), turmeric (coloring matter).
Recommended to pair with whiskey, wine, Japanese sake or shochu, as well as with grilled vegetables, or for use as a salad topping. Also recommended on top of rice with a few drops of soy sauce.
Online purchase link: CHOICE website
• CHOICE’s Fromage, Italiana/CHOICE’s Fromage, イタリアーナ. Ingredients (raw materials): Cashew nuts, dried tomato, nutritional yeast, basil, natural salt, garlic powder, lactic acid bacteria (derived from grain). (Name of additive used and its purpose): Nutritional yeast (seasoning).
Recommended as a spread, for use with pasta, mixed with dressing or sauce, used in lasagna or gratin or in a sandwich.
Online purchase link: CHOICE website
• CHOICE’s Fromage, Koto/CHOICE’s Fromage, 古都. Ingredients (raw materials): Cashew nuts, coconut oil, nutritional yeast, Japanese peppercorns, natural salt, powdered Japanese pepper, lactic acid bacteria (derived from grain). (Name of additive used and its purpose): Nutritional yeast (seasoning).
Recommended not only to put on bread and crackers, but also to eat with fresh vegetables. Goes very well with sake or sparkling wine.
Online purchase link: CHOICE website
• CHOICE’s Fromage, Rum Raisin/CHOICE’s Fromage, ラムレーズン. Ingredients: Cashew nuts, raisins, soymilk, agave syrup, rum, natural salt, lactic acid bacteria (derived from soybeans).
Made with organic raisins soaked in rum. Recommended to eat with bagels, scones, pancakes, or between cookies or crackers, with coffee, tea or wine. Can also be used in homemade sweets.
Online purchase link: CHOICE website
• Kempo Instant Cashew Cheese/建歩 インスタント・カシューチーズ . Adding water makes a cheesy sauce that goes well on quiche, pizza or pizza toast, pasta or potatoes, or can be used as a sandwich spread. It’s possible to order in English by messaging Sheila Kawakami on Facebook.
Online purchase link: Kempo
Photo courtesy of Kempo.
Mame Maju Mou cheeses can be bought online from Tengu Natural Foods, among other sellers. They are reported by Green’s Vegetarian, a popular vegan and vegetarian online shop, to contain palm oil.
• Fuji Oil Co., Ltd. Mame Maju Mou, Soy Cream Cheese /大豆舞珠(まめまーじゅ). Ingredients: Soymilk, vegetable oil, dextrin, salt, thickener (modified starch), trehalose, stabilizing agent (soybean polysaccharide, pectin), pH adjusting agent.
Product contains soybeans.
Online purchase link: Tengu Natural Foods (Alishan) (English)
• Fuji Oil Co., Ltd. Mame Maju Mou, Mascarpone Style/大豆舞珠mou（まめまーじゅ ムー）. Ingredients: Soymilk, vegetable oil, soymilk cream, soy protein, salt/thickener (processed starch), glycine, magnesium chloride-containing material, stabilizing agent (polysaccharide thickener), pH adjusting agent.
Product contains soybeans.
• Fuji Oil Co., Ltd. Mame Maju Mou, Soy “Cheese,” Semi-Hard/大豆舞珠（まめまーじゅ）セミハード. Ingredients: Soymilk, vegetable oil, starch, maltodextrin, salt, yeast extract/thickener (modified starch), pH adjusting agent.
Product contains soybeans.
Online purchase link: Tengu Natural Foods (Alishan) (English)
In April 2020, Marin Food launched a new version of their vegan shred without the 28 specified allergens, removing almonds from the formula. Find more information in this PR Times article.
The English-language Marin Food product page states:
“It is a cheese alternative for vegans.
- We made this cheese alternative, using plant-based ingredients. For vegan (vegetarian). We do not use animal origin ingredients nor 28 allergenic ingredients.
- Compared to Gouda cheese, it is 99% cholesterol reduced.
- Enjoy this for heated menus including pizza toast and gratin.”
• Marin Food My Vegan Shred 97% Plant Ingredients/私のヴィーガン97％植物シュレッド. Ingredients: Vegetable oil, chickpea flour, salt, fermented seasoning liquid, yeast extract powder, dextrin/modified starch, cellulose, pH conditioner, stabilizing agent (polysaccharide thickener), flavor, coloring (carotene).
Online purchase links: Green’s Vegetarian, Marin Food
Photo from website.
The previous version of the product may also turn up on the market while stocks last:
This plant-based shred “cheese” has 99% less cholesterol than gouda. Intended for melting- the website suggests using it on pizza toast or gratin. Sometimes spotted in Aeon supermarkets.
• Marin Food My Melting Vegan Shred– 99% reduced cholesterol. Ingredients: Vegetable oil, processed almond, salt, fermented seasoning liquid, yeast extract powder, modified starch, ph conditioner, cellulose, seasoning (organic acid etc.), spices, coloring (carotin).
Product contains almonds.
Contains none of the 27 specified allergens.
Made in the same factory as items containing dairy. According to the website, “We produce this product at the same facility where we also use milk, but we practice thorough cleaning before producing this product.”
There is more information about the Marin Food vegan series of products (cheese, margarine and hotcakes) on its website (English).
Photo from website.
The package of this Marusan Soymilk Shred “cheese” is labeled “dairy ingredients not used/乳原料不使用.” Photo was taken in a branch of Life supermarket in April 2021.
• Marusan Soymilk Shred/ Marusan 豆乳シュレッド. Ingredients: Soymilk (includes soybeans) (domestically produced), vegetable oil, salt, fermented seasoning liquid, yeast extract powder/modified starch, cellulose, pH adjusting agent, stabilizing agent (polysaccharide thickener), flavoring.
Online purchase link: Warabemura
On March 1, 2021, a sliced cheese was added to the lineup. The product page states it’s the first slice-type soymilk cheese product in the soymilk industry (in Japan). It also is clearly marked that it doesn’t use animal ingredients, 動物性原料を使用していません/doubutsusei genryou wo shiyou shite imasen.
• Marusan Soymilk Slices/ Marusan 豆乳スライス. Ingredients: Soymilk (includes soybeans) (domestically produced), vegetable oil (domestically produced), salt/modified starch, pH adjusting agent, stabilizing agent (polysaccharide thickener), flavoring.
Mozzarisella (English) vegan cheese alternatives from Italy are available in Bio c’ Bon supermarkets in Classic and Smoked flavors. The products are made from sprouted brown rice.
Online purchase links: Bio c’ Bon (Classic), Bio c’ Bon (Smoked)
A 60 year-old tofu company called Sagamiya is currently selling various soy cheeses in regular supermarkets across Japan. They sell many of their products under the “Beyond Tofu” name. Although they do make vegan products, not everything they make is vegan. The cheeses can sometimes be found in Aeon supermarkets and can also be bought in Sagamiya’s Rakuten Ichiba shop. The company has no relation to the American company Beyond Meat. The blog Sushivoyage states that Beyond Tofu products contain palm oil.
Check our Soy Yogurt section further down this page for information on their soy Greek-style “yogurt” product, and our Tofu & Soy Products section for information on their non-cheese style tofu products.
They tend to cycle through some of their items quite quickly, so if you are interested in them, you’ll probably want to purchase while you have the chance. Particularly their flavored tofu items seem to often be temporary, seasonally available items.
NOTE: their previous Nomu Tofu (not pictured here) and Beyond Tofu To-Go and current (as of April 2021) Beyond Tofu Latte and Beyond Tofu Latte Mocha are not vegan as they contain honey/はちみつ. However, the front of the cups of the Beyond Tofu To-Go, Latte, and Latte Mocha previously said “100% Plant-Based Foods” even though the products contain honey, and now this wording seems to be removed (and the To-Go version says “honey attached” in Japanese), which represents an improvement in labeling. Check our Tofu & Soy Products section for images of these products.
The following product was formerly sold as Sagamiya Natural Mascarpone-like Tofu/相模屋 マスカルポーネのようなナチュラルとうふ. It states “100% Plant Based Foods,” “100% Dairy-Free,” and “Gluten-Free” in English on the package.
• Sagamiya Beyond Tofu Natural/相模屋 BEYOND TOFUナチュラル. Ingredients: Tofu (tofu cream, salt)/coagulant (magnesium chloride (nigari)), edible olive oil.
Product contains soybeans.
Online purchase link: Rakuten Ichiba
Sagamiya Beyond Tofu is a plant-based “cheese” in block form/ブロックタイプ, cube form/キューブタイプ, and shred form. As of July 2021 only the cubes packed in olive oil and shreds seem to be available in stores, but the blocks can be ordered online.
• Sagamiya Beyond Tofu block/相模屋 Beyond Tofu ブロックタイプ. Ingredients: Fermented soymilk food product (soymilk (contains soybeans), starch, yeast extract), vegetable oil, starch, powdered corn syrup, table salt/thickener (modified starch), coagulant (magnesium chloride (natural bittern (nigari))), pH adjusting agent, carotenoid pigment.
Online purchase link: Rakuten Ichiba (set of 6 blocks)
Product contains soybeans.
The Beyond Tofu in Olive Oil was found in a branch of Natural Lawson (not regular Lawson) convenience store. Photos taken in May 2021. The ingredient list says that the product has ヤシ油, which can either be coconut oil or palm oil according to Japanese Wikipedia. Regular Beyond Tofu is confirmed to use palm oil according to the blog Sushi Voyage, so we’ve chosen to translate ヤシ油 as “palm oil” in this olive oil version.
• Beyond Tofu in Olive Oil/BEYOND TOFU オリーブオイル漬け. Ingredients: Edible olive oil (domestically produced), edible sunflower oil, fermented soymilk food product (soymilk, starch, yeast extract), starch, processed oil, low-fat soymilk, powdered defatted soybean protein, powdered corn syrup, salt, edible palm oil, basil, red chili pepper/processed starch, pH stabilizing agent, coagulant, carotenoid pigment.
As of mid-2020, a larger package of the shredded “cheese” appeared on the market, with the words “vegan cheese” prominently displayed on the package. This photo was taken in a branch of Maruetsu Petit grocery store in Yokohama in June 2020. The website states it’s sold in stores only in Eastern Japan.
• Sagamiya Beyond Tofu Vegan Cheese Miracle Protein/相模屋 Beyond Tofu ピザ・シュレッド.
Online purchase link: Rakuten Ichiba
Sheese, the vegan cheese from the Isle of Bute, Scotland, can be found at vegan food festivals.
Online purchase link: Green’s Vegetarian
Photo taken in August 2021 at National Azabu grocery store in Hiroo, Tokyo.
Shigezo is a tofu shop with its own line of products, some of which appear not to have animal ingredients from a review of the ingredient lists. The store has branches in Tokyo and Niigata, Ibaraki, Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa Prefectures. Find the shop list here. The products are also available to order online. Check the Non-Dairy Margarine and Butter section on this page for information on their soy butter and our Non-Dairy Cream section on this page for information on their fresh cream-style tofu product.
Their Fermented Soymilk Cream product is meant to be close to the taste of cream cheese.
• Shigezo Hakkō Tōnyu (Fermented Soymilk) Cream/茂蔵 発酵豆乳クリーム. Ingredients: Soymilk, vegetable oil, dextrin, salt, thickener (processed starch), trehalose, stabilizing agent (soy polysaccharides, pectin), pH adjusting agent.
Product contains soybeans.
Online purchase link: Yahoo Japan Shopping
Photo from Shigezo’s Yahoo Japan Shopping store.
• Shigezo Mozzarella Tofu/茂蔵 生モッツアレラ豆腐. Ingredients: Soymilk cream, soymilk (soybeans: not genetically modified), modified starch, coagulant (crude seawater magnesium chloride (nigari)), emulsifier, pH adjusting agent, cellulose, antioxidant (vitamin E).
Online purchase link: Yahoo Japan Shopping
Photo from Shigezo’s Yahoo Japan Shopping store.
Terra Foods is a vegan company that makes a variety of products that can be ordered online. They also operate a very popular vegan hamburger and hot dog food truck in Tokyo. Check our Tofu & Soy Products section for information about their tempeh “Mighty Patty” product and our Meat Substitutes section for information about their “Just Like Sausage” and “Just Like Chik’n Nuggets.”
This product is similar in taste and appearance to a white semi-hard cheese. Can be melted or eaten as-is and used in salads, pastas, on nachos, and so on. It can be sometimes be found in smaller health food shops.
Certified vegan by VegeProject Japan.
• Terra Foods Just Like Cheese (Maru de Cheese)/Terra Foods まるでチーズ. Ingredients: Soy milk (from non-GMO soy beans), starch, coconut oil, maltodextrin, salt, yeast extract, pH adjuster.
Online purchase link: Terra Foods online shop (some English provided)
Photo on left from website. Photo on right courtesy of VegeProject Japan.
Now let’s move on to looking at an Aeon house brand, Topvalu.
The following product, Topvalu Vegetive Melty Shreds, can be found in some Aeon and Aeon-affiliated stores. It has an English warning on the front of the package saying “May contain animal-derived ingredients, depending on the product.” It appears to mean that some products in the same Vegetive line contain animal products. The part below it in Japanese, 使用してるアレルゲンは、お買い上げのたびに表示をご覧ください, means that they want you to check the package of the product when you buy it to see what allergens were used. The product page on the website also says even if the package looks the same, the nutritional and allergy information might differ depending on what plant it was made at, so you need to look at the individual package to find that information/同じ商品に見える場合であっても、製造工場の違いにより栄養成分やアレルギー情報などが異なる事がございます。パッケージに記載されている内容のご確認をお願いいたします.
The Kyoto Vegan Diet account on Twitter reports that they contacted the company shortly after the product’s release (in early 2020) and found that the product has no animal ingredients.
• Topvalu Vegetive Melty Shreds/トップバリュ 豆乳とココナツオイルからつくったまろやかシュレッド．Ingredients: Soymilk (contains soybeans), edible vegetable oil (coconut oil, rapeseed oil), chickpea powder, salt, fermented seasoning liquid, yeast extract, dextrin/processed starch, cellulose, pH adjusting agent, flavoring, coloring (carotene).
These Violife cheeses are all Vegan Society certified. The ingredient lists given here are translated versions of the Japanese ingredient lists. You may be able to find them at AEON grocery stores in Kanto. They seem to not yet be distributed in other areas in Japan.
• Violife Cheddar Slices/ビオライフ 植物生まれのスライス チェダータイプ 140g (7枚入り). Ingredients: Coconut oil, starch, salt, olive extract/processed starch, flavoring, paprika pigment, carotene pigment, vitamin B12.
Image from website.
• Violife Creamy Original/ビオライフ 植物生まれのクリーミー 150g. Ingredients: Coconut oil, starch, salt, olive extract/pH adjusting agent, flavoring, vitamin B12.
Image from website.
• Violife Mozzarella Slices/ビオライフ 植物生まれのスライス モッツアレラタイプ 140g (7枚入り).
Image from website.
• Violife Shredded Cheddar/ビオライフ 植物生まれのシュレッド チェダータイプ 200g. Ingredients: Coconut oil, starch, salt, olive extract/processed starch, flavoring, paprika pigment, carotene pigment, vitamin B12.
Image from website.
It’s also possible to place bulk orders from overseas websites to get many popular brands that are not sold in Japan delivered here, including Miyoko’s Creamery, Field Roast, Follow Your Heart, and others. The (all links in English) Tokyo Vegan/Vegetarian Hub (formerly known as Tokyo Vegan/Vegetarian Friends Club) Facebook group has a guide to ordering from the U.S.-based website Vegan Essentials or the EU-based Vantastic Foods (formerly known as Veggie-shop24.com). According to Vegan Essentials’ customer service, they recommend DHL priority shipping for cold items, which should generally arrive in 3-4 days. They try to ship only on Monday or Tuesday so the items can arrive in the same week and not sit over weekends. They can provide shipping estimates when emailed a shipping address and list of desired purchase items. They do also ship to Japan via priority mail, but it can take up to 7-14 days, which might not be good for cold food items if they are warm in transit.
NON-DAIRY CREAM
Below is some soy whipped cream that is available in Japan. The Sujahta appears to be the only choice available on the mainstream market. The Sujahta website states (from autotranslate): “I used soy ingredients instead of milk ingredients. A smooth whip with a fine white texture.
* This product production line manufactures products containing milk. Line cleaning is performed when switching between manufactured products.”
Note the maltose is from corn/potato/sweet potato and the modified starch is from cassava.
According to the customer service in 2021, the flavoring is artificial and there is no use of dairy or animal products in the flavoring or ingredients. They take multiple precautions to prevent cross-contamination from dairy, however there may be a very small level of cross-contamination from dairy.
• Sujahta Non-Dairy Soy Whipped Cream/スジャータ 乳製品を使っていない豆乳入りホイップ. Ingredients: Vegetable oil, organic soymilk, sweeteners (oligosaccharides, maltose, sugar), emulsifier (derived from soy), stabilizing agent (modified starch, polysaccharide thickener), metaphosphoric acid Na, flavoring.
Online purchase link: Rakuten Ichiba
Be sure not to accidentally grab another product by Sujahta in a yellow box. Although it uses plant fats, it’s still a dairy whipped cream and is not vegan. The second listed ingredient is 乳製品/nyuuseihin (dairy products). The package description also lists this product as a 乳等を主要原料とする食品/chichi-tō o shuyō genryō to suru shokuhin, a food made mainly from milk.
Nature’s Charm Coconut Whipping Cream is available online from the Youki Retail website, along with other Nature’s Charm products: Coconut Salted Caramel Sauce/ココナッツ塩キャラメル, Coconut Chocolate Fudge Sauce/ココナッツチョコレートソース, and Condensed Coconut Milk/コンデンスココナッツミルク.
All four of the Nature’s Charm products mentioned here are marked vegan on the labels.
• Nature’s Charm Coconut Whipping Cream/ココナッツホイッピングクリーム. Ingredients: Coconut milk, coconut oil, coconut sugar, sugar/thickener (CMC), emulsifier, flavoring.
Online purchase link: Youki website
Photo from website.
It’s not a whipped cream, but Shigezo sells a tofu product which is marketed as being just like a healthy fresh cream.
Shigezo is a tofu shop with its own line of products, some of which appear not to have animal ingredients from a review of the ingredient lists. The store has branches in Tokyo and Niigata, Ibaraki, Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa Prefectures. Find the shop list here. The products are also available to order online. Check our Vegan Cheese section on this page for information on their mozzarella and cream-cheese style products and the Non-Dairy Margarine and Butter section on this page for information on their soy butter.
• Shigezo Natural Cream Tofu/茂蔵 ナチュラルクリームとうふ. Ingredients: Soymilk cream, soymilk (soybeans (not genetically modified), salt/coagulant (crude seawater magnesium chloride (nigari)), emulsifier, ph adjusting agent, cellulose, antioxidant (vitamin E).
Online purchase link: Shigezo’s Yahoo Shopping store
Photo from Shigezo’s Yahoo Shopping store.
NON-DAIRY YOGURTS
Soy yogurt is the most commonly available non-dairy yogurt in Japan. It may be a bit of a search to find others, although almond, coconut and rice types exist. We’ve detailed all four types (almond, coconut, rice, and soy) in their own sections below.
ALMOND YOGURT
The following product was spotted on Aeon store shelves in April 2021. We’d previously contacted Horimilk about if the lactic acid bacteria cultures in two of their soy yogurt products were animal-derived, however we did not receive a response at that time- it’s also not known if the lactic acid bacteria cultures in this product from them, the Almond Milk Yogurt Drink, are animal-derived.
The product does say “plant-based” on the front in English (and 植物性食品/shokubutsusei shokuhin in Japanese, meaning the same thing) and it also says “Plant-based (植物性）食品は動物由来の原材料を一切使っておらず、植物由来の原材料のみでつくられています,” meaning “Plant-based foods do not use any animal-derived ingredients; they are made exclusively from plant-based ingredients” so hopefully this extends to the source of the lactic acid bacteria as well.
The sanontou sugar is a type of refined and redyed sugar product so it could be bone-char processed.
The package looks virtually identical to Kokubu Foods’ Almond Milk Yogurt, so this seems virtually guaranteed to be a knockoff-type product.
• Horimilk Almond Milk Yogurt Drink/ホリ乳業 アーモンドミルク Yogurt Drink. Ingredients: Almond paste (domestically produced), sanontou sugar, fructooligosaccharides, inulin (dietary fiber), almond protein, almond oil/vitamin E.
Product contains almonds.
Products containing soybeans are manufactured on shared equipment.
Some photos courtesy of @jari.eats.
Here’s the Kokubu Foods product that the previous product is probably imitating.
The package says “plant-based” in English and “shokubutsusei shokuhin/植物性食品” in Japanese. It states that plant-based means that no animal ingredients are used at all and that only plant derived ingredients are used: “Plant-based(植物性)食品は、動物由来の原材料を一切使っておらず、植物由来の原材料のみでつくられています。” The press release stated that no dairy ingredients were used. Per a customer inquiry in April 2020, the lactic acid bacteria are plant-derived. Check larger or more upscale supermarkets to have a better chance of finding it. Photo taken at a branch of Tokyu Store.
• Kokubu Foods The Almond Milk Yogurt/アーモンドミルクヨーグルト. Ingredients: Almond paste (domestically manufactured), fructo-oligosaccharides, inulin (dietary fiber), agar, almond oil.
Product contains almonds.
The Pokka Sapporo Green Bio Almond Milk yogurt in original and blueberry flavors are not vegan as they contain gelatin/ゼラチン/zerachin as an ingredient.
There is no gelatin in the ingredient list of the Green Bio Almond Milk Yogurt Plain, No Sugar, which is sold nationwide, excluding Okinawa, according to the website’s product page. However, the company has stated that the lactic acid bacteria in the product is originally animal-derived, and that they cannot divulge what the emulsifier is made of.
• Pokka Sapporo Green Bio Almond Milk Yogurt Plain, No Sugar. Ingredients: Almond paste (made in the U.S.), dietary fiber (inulin), dextrin, agar/emulsifier, vitamin E.
Product contains almonds.
Photos taken in October 2021.
COCONUT YOGURT
Coconut yogurt seems to be making small steps into the Japanese market, although distribution remains limited.
The below photos were taken in July 2021. When asked at that time if all the ingredients, including the lactic acid bacteria, were not of animal origin, the company replied “菌種については社外秘となる情報のためお答えができないのですが、原材料は動物性の関与はございません.” From autotranslate: “We cannot answer about the bacterial species because it is confidential information, but the raw materials are not related to animals.” It was released on July 7, 2021 in Aeon and Aeon Style stores in Honshu and Shikoku (may not be available at all stores).
• Fruta Fruta Coconut Yogurt/Fruta Fruta ココナッツヨーグルト. Ingredients: Coconut milk (produced in the Philippines), agar-agar, psyllium husk powder.
Manufactured on common equipment with products containing almonds and soybeans.
This coconut yogurt from Europe is available at Bio c’ Bon grocery stores (Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture (Yokohama, Kawasaki and Fujisawa). Marked gluten-free and vegan in English on the packages.
• Happy Coco Coconut Yoghi (Natural/Vanilla/Mango/)/ハッピーココグルト ～プレーン～ ～バニラ～ ～マンゴ～ (English).
Natural/プレーン. Ingredients: Coconut milk, tapioca starch, vegan yogurt cultures.
Vanilla/バニラ. Ingredients: Coconut milk, tapioca starch, agave syrup, lemon juice, vanilla beans, flavoring, vegan yogurt cultures.
Mango/マンゴ. Ingredients: Coconut milk, tapioca starch, mango, agave syrup, lemon juice, flavoring, vegan yogurt cultures.
RICE YOGURT
A brand called Allernon Foods produces rice yogurt. Per its website, some products have the VegeProject vegan mark. The website also states that the lactic acid bacteria used to make the Allernon Rice Yogurt is plant-derived/植物性乳酸菌/shokubutsusei nyūsankin, and comes from traditional fermented foods. Also, the products do not contain any of the 28 specified allergens.
The yogurt can be found at the Vegan Store in Asakusa, Tokyo. The complete list of shops that carry Allernon products can be found here. Below is a selection of products from its website. At the time of the review of the Allernon website in March 2021, all the products pictured below had the VegeProject vegan mark.
• Allernon Rice Yogurt/ALLER-NON お米のヨーグルトアレルノン. Ingredients: Rice (domestic), lactic acid bacteria.
Spring water is also used to make this yogurt.
Contains none of the 28 specified allergens.
Online purchase link: Allernon Foods online shop (100g cup), Allernon Foods online shop (500g package)
Photos from website.
• Allernon Lemon Rice Yogurt/ALLER-NON お米のヨーグルトRiseレモン. Ingredients: Rice (domestic), lemon juice, caster sugar (beet sugar), lactic acid bacteria.
Online purchase link: Allernon Foods online shop
Photo from website.
• Allernon Yuzu Rice Yogurt/ALLER-NON お米のヨーグルトRiseゆずアレルノン. Ingredients: Rice (domestic), citron peel, caster sugar (beet sugar), lactic acid bacteria.
Online purchase link: Allernon Foods online shop (100g cup), Allernon Foods online shop (500g package)
Photos from website.
They also have a line of products called “Arepi” that are meant to provide a reduction in hay fever symptoms. The product pages reference clinical trials of the ingredient Citrus jabara on pollen symptoms. Citrus jabara, according to Wikipedia, is a “cross of the yuzu with a pomelo-hybridized mandarin.”
• Arepi Citrus Jabara Rice Yogurt, Special/アレピーグルトじゃばら（スペシャル）. Ingredients: Rice (domestic), Citrus jabara powder, caster sugar (beet sugar), lactic acid bacteria.
Online purchase link: Allernon Foods online shop (500g package)
Photo from website.
SOY YOGURT
Soy yogurt is available in Japan, but look out for gelatin/ゼラチン/zerachin. Many companies also use dairy-derived lactic acid bacteria to make soy yogurt. The source of the lactic acid bacteria will often not be listed on the label or company website. The lactic acid bacteria will often not be written in the product’s ingredient list. It is not clear whether lactic acid bacteria are collected from the source each time this product is manufactured or whether lactic acid bacteria that are already in circulation are cultured, nor what medium they are cultured on.
Let’s start by looking at a brand called Fujicco which has released a yogurt that’s made from soybeans.
Fujicco does animal experiments. Per the @kyotovegandiet account on Twitter, they did not do animal experiments when developing this product. The emulsifier of the raw material is 100% plant-derived (sugar cane, palm, beet sugar). Palm oil is used. The “isolated source” of the lactic acid bacteria used is “fermented food of milk derived from animals” (it is not disclosed what animal it is).
This means that the website’s statement “no milk ingredients/乳成分不使用” does not extend to the lactic acid bacteria.
The medium the bacteria is grown on is vegetable. They did not disclose whether lactic acid bacteria are collected from the source each time this product is manufactured or whether lactic acid bacteria that are already in circulation are cultured.
• Fujicco Yogurt from Soybeans/フジッコ 大豆で作ったヨーグルト. Ingredients: Soybean powder (soybeans (not genetically modified)), emulsifier.
Product contains soybeans.
Aeon is a good place to look for soy yogurt.
The following product is carried at Aeon and MaxValu stores, as well as a small handful of other shops which are listed at the link in the product name.
• Horimilk Soy Flora/ホリ乳業 ホリビオティック ソイフローラ. Ingredients: Domestic soybean powder (not genetically modified), sugar.
This soy yogurt is made by a dairy company. Monde Selection Silver award winner. Uses 100% domestic soybeans. Probiotic bacteria and vegetable protein are intended to balance gut flora, hence the name of the product. Each cup contains the nutrients and fiber of 30 Japanese soya beans. The type of sugar used is called “Ishigaki Island Delicious Sugar.” The company confirmed that 100% Ishigaki Island Delicious Sugar is used in this product. The company that makes the sugar confirmed that bone char is not used to whiten the sugar.
They did not get back to us about if the lactic acid bacteria are animal-derived.
It does not contain preservatives, so has a relatively short shelf life of 18 days.
Online purchase link: Rakuten Ichiba
Photo from website.
The same company also makes another type of soy yogurt. This has been spotted in some Aeon stores.
• Horimilk Whole Soybean Yogurt/ホリ乳業 大豆のまるごとヨーグルト. Ingredients: Soybean powder (not genetically modified), sugar, flavoring.
This soy yogurt uses 100% North American soybeans of the highest quality, finely powdered using a patent protected production method, and patent pending lactic acid bacteria. No dairy products or coagulant are used. The whole soybean (except the skin) is used so it’s rich in soy protein, isoflavones and dietary fiber.
They did not get back to us about if the lactic acid bacteria is animal-derived.
It does not contain preservatives, so has a relatively short shelf life of 18 days.
Online purchase link: Rakuten Ichiba
Photo from website.
Marusan makes the most widely available soy yogurt in Japan.
• Marusan Soymilk Yogurt/マルサンアイ 豆乳グルト. Ingredients: Soymilk (Canadian soybeans, non genetically-modified).
Package is marked 乳成分不使用/dairy components not used and 植物由来の乳酸菌/plant-derived lactic acid bacteria used.
In 2018, the company stated that in the past, they once did a joint research project outside the company with a university, which included animal testing using their yogurt. They do not currently do any animal testing. They have not decided if they will ever do animal testing again in the future.
It appears that Marusan provided this yogurt for animal testing on request by the researcher. The researcher stated that he gave rats feed which included the Marusan soy yogurt, which they could eat freely in their cage. He worked in accordance with the animal welfare regulations of the university. After 5 weeks he killed the rats and examined the organs. He thanked Marusan for providing the soy yogurt needed for the research. The original research report is here. This means that the product itself seems not to have been developed using animal research.
Photo from website.
• Marusan Soymilk Yogurt with 100% Domestically Produced Soybeans/マルサンアイ 国産大豆の豆乳使用 豆乳グルト. Ingredients: Soymilk (Domestically-produced soybeans, non genetically-modified).
The package says 乳成分不使用/dairy components not used and 植物由来の乳酸菌/plant-derived lactic acid bacteria used.
Photo from website.
If you live locally to Kobe, you may be lucky enough to find Ozaki no Tofu products in shops. It’s a shop that specializes in making tofu from domestic soybeans and natural seawater bittern from Izu Oshima. They also make a soymilk yogurt made with plant-derived lactic acid bacteria and 100% vegetable ingredients called Ozaki no Tofu Kobe Soymilk Guruto. It’s also made of domestically produced soybeans.
Note that although the package suggests eating it with honey/hachimitsu/はちみつ, the soymilk yogurt itself doesn’t contain any honey, so is safe for vegans.
• Ozaki no Tofu Kobe Soymilk Guruto/尾崎のとうふ 神戸豆乳グルト. Ingredients: Domestically produced soybeans, plant-derived lactic acid cultures.
Photos from Ozaki no Tofu’s Facebook page and website.
Just like the Pokka Sapporo Green Bio Almond Milk yogurt, the Pokka Sapporo Soyafarm Soymilk Yogurt /Pokka Sapporo 豆乳で作ったヨーグルトin plain, aloe and blueberry flavors is not vegan as it contains gelatin/zerachin/ゼラチン.
The product also bears the “Tokuho (food for specified health use)” mark, which looks like an outline of a person stretching. The Consumer Affairs Agency says that the use of the Tokuho (food for specified health use) mark does not require the conduct of animal experiments, and if there is enough history of humans having eaten the food, animal experiments are unnecessary. However, in reality many animal experiments are being conducted. There is more information about the Tokuho mark on the Peace (Put an End to Animal Cruelty and Exploitation) website. A product not bearing the mark is not evidence that no animal experimentation was done to create the product.
• Pokka Sapporo Soybio Soymilk Yogurt, Plain Unsweetened/ Pokka Sapporo ソイビオ豆乳ヨーグルト プレーン無糖. Ingredients: Soymilk, dietary fiber.
Product contains soybeans.
Out of the 27 specified allergens, this product only contains soybeans.
Dairy products not used. While the company stated in 2020 to a customer who inquired that the medium the lactic acid bacteria Soybio yogurt is grown on does not use animal products, as of 2019 customer service stated the lactic acid bacteria itself is of animal origin, therefore we are listing this product as a “no.”
This product has been spotted at some Aeon and Maruetsu supermarkets.
The newer version is shown on the left and the older version is shown on the right.
There is also a sweetened, drinkable version that comes with a disposable straw available in: Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Yamanashi, and Nagano. It may use the same animal-derived lactic acid bacteria.
• Pokka Sapporo Soybio Soymilk Yogurt, Plain Sweetened/ Pokka Sapporo ソイビオ豆乳ヨーグルト プレーン加糖. Ingredients: Soymilk, sugar, dietary fiber, concentrated lemon juice/processed starch, stabilizing agent (polysaccharide thickener), flavor.
Product contains soybeans.
Out of the 27 specified allergens, this product only contains soybeans.
Although we did not contact the company about it, presumably this product has the same animal-derived lactic acid bacteria, since it is just a version of the above product with more ingredients added to flavor it.
The newer version is shown on the left and the older version is shown on the right.
The small containers of Pokka Sapporo Soybio Plain (Sweetened)/Pokka Sapporo ソイビオ豆乳ヨーグルト プレーン加糖 and Pokka Sapporo Soybio Strawberry/Pokka Sapporo ソイビオ豆乳ヨーグルト ストロベリー are not vegan as they contain gelatin.
In May 2021 a new Pokka Sapporo product was spotted on store shelves, the Pokka Sapporo Soyglena Soy Yogurt Drink, Aloe. It says “dairy not used” on the front of the package in Japanese, 乳製品不使用/nyuuseihin fushiyou.
No information is given on the package about if animal-derived or plant-derived lactic acid bacteria is present in this product (lactic acid bacteria is not listed on the ingredient list, however it seems it that like their other yogurt products, it must be contained in the product in order to make it into a yogurt).
Note that euglena, which this product contains, is considered to be neither a plant nor an animal, but a single-celled protist.
• Pokka Sapporo Soyglena Soy Yogurt Drink, Aloe/アロエ. Ingredients: Soymilk, aloe vera jam (aloe vera in syrup, sugar, concentrated lychee juice, concentrated lemon juice, Euglena gracilis powder, glucose), sugar, dietary fiber, dextrin, concentrated lemon juice, salt/processed starch, acidity regulator, stabilizing agent (polysaccharide thickener), flavoring, sweetener (sucralose).
Product contains soybeans.
“100% dairy-free” and “gluten-free” are written in English on the package of Sagamiya Beyond Tofu Greek Style. Since this product is a tofu in a Greek yogurt style, made using nigari (bittern) to thicken it, it probably doesn’t contain any live cultures. As of April 2021 it doesn’t appear to be on the Beyond Tofu website anymore, meaning the product is probably on its way out.
• Sagamiya Beyond Tofu Greek Style. Ingredients: Tofu cream, salt/processed starch, coagulant (magnesium chloride (nigari)).
Product contains soybeans.
• Sagamiya Beyond Tofu Greek Style, Edamame/枝豆風味. Ingredients: Tofu cream, vegetable oil, salt/processed starch, coagulant (magnesium chloride (nigari)), flavoring, gardenia pigment.
Product contains soybeans.
Sendaizu is a brand by JA (Japanese Agriculture Cooperative) Sendai. From autotranslate from its website: “JA Sendai brand “Sen Soybean” is a part of soybean cultivation support in the coastal area of JA Sendai, which was damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake…”Soy yogurt” is newly added to the “Sen soybean” series! This is the first step in developing products that you can eat on a daily basis. Please try yogurt that makes the most of the functionality and flavor of soybeans for daily health promotion.”
Sendaizu Soy Yogurt is manufactured by Horimilk/ホリ乳業.
• Sendaizu Soy Yogurt/仙大豆 Soy Yogurt. Ingredients: Soybean powder (domestic soybeans, not genetically modified), sugar, flavoring.
We have not inquired about the source of the cultures in this product. The package has “dairy-free” written on it in English, however, it seems doubtful if that extends to the lactic acid bacteria.
Pokka Sapporo also manufactures the Topvalu Soymilk Yogurt (Aeon house brand) under the Vegetive label. Dairy products not used/乳製品を使用していません is written on the lower left corner of the front of the package. Although not all products from the Vegetive line are guaranteed to be free of animal ingredients, someone who contacted their customer service reported that they were told the product contains no animal ingredients and the lactic acid bacteria in the product is from vegetables.
• Topvalu Vegetive Soy Yogurt (Plain)/トップバリュ Vegetive 豆乳ヨーグルト プレーン. Ingredients: Soymilk (contains soybeans), dietary fiber (inulin).
Photo from website.
There are also some other drinkable soy yogurts on the mainstream market, although they aren’t very common. We have not yet been able to identify any without animal-derived lactic acid bacteria.
• CGC Drinkable Yogurt/CGC のむ豆乳ヨーグルト. Ingredients: Soybeans (grown in Kyushu, not genetically modified), sugar/stabilizing agent (polysaccharide thickener), acidulant, flavoring, cellulose, emulsifier.
Soymilk was fermented with lactic acid bacteria for a refreshing taste. Uses Kyushu-produced “Fukuyutaka” soybeans. According to their customer service in 2019, they use two kinds of lactic acid bacteria, one derived from dairy mozzarella and one from dairy yogurt.
Photo from website.
• Fukuren Drinkable Soymilk Yogurt/ふくれん 豆乳でつくったのむ豆乳ヨーグルト. Ingredients: Soybeans (not genetically modified), sugar/stabilizing agent (polysaccharide thickener), acidulant, flavoring.
Soymilk was fermented with lactic acid bacteria for a refreshing taste. Uses Kyushu-produced “Fukuyutaka” soybeans. The website states that because it does not contain milk allergens, it can be enjoyed by people with milk allergies. Per customer service, the lactic acid bacteria is animal-derived. The lactic acid bacteria in this product is not alive as the product is sterilized after the fermentation process.
Photo from website.
NON-DAIRY YOGURT STARTERS
If you want to try to make your own yogurt, unfortunately, vegan yogurt starters don’t appear to be available from regular grocery stores, but you can check the iHerb website (bilingual).
This starter for soymilk yogurt was found at a Bio c’ Bon grocery store. It uses plant-derived lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus plantarum, often found on vegetable and plant fermentations) and plant-based raw materials for production. Milk is not used. The website mentions that the product is good for vegetarians.
• Ohta Isan (Stomach Medicine) “Mother” for Soymilk “Soyoguru”/太田胃散 豆乳専用種菌 ソイヨーグル.
Online purchase link: Ohta Isan (Stomach Medicine) website, Rakuten Ichiba
Is it Vegan? (Japan) 