Morinaga Milk Group’s “Smiles & Health for Children” Program Supporting Kindergarten and Elementary School Meals in Vietnam Wins an Award in the Social Empowerment Category of the Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards 2026, a First for a Japanese Dairy Company.

Morinaga Milk Group’s school meal support program, “Smiles & Health for Children,” implemented with the aim of contributing to the improvement of children’s health and nutrition in Vietnam, has received an award in the Social Empowerment Category of the Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards 2026 (hereinafter “AREA”), organized by Enterprise Asia. The award was presented at an awards ceremony held following the International CSR & Sustainability (ICS) Summit 2026, which took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on June 26, 2026. Morinaga Milk Group is the first Japanese company in the dairy industry to receive an AREA award.

Established in 2011, AREA is an international award that honors outstanding corporate activities in the ESG/CSR field across the Asian region, recognizing companies for their commitment to responsible enterprise. Entries are evaluated comprehensively based on criteria including “contribution to business growth through sustainability,” “positive impact on society and the environment,” and “CSR/ESG activities that leverage a company’s strengths.”

This year, out of approximately 350 entries across all categories, our program supporting kindergarten and elementary school meals in Vietnam, “Smiles & Health for Children,” was entered in the Social Empowerment Category. Following the review by the judges, it was recognized for delivering a direct impact on the improvement of health and nutrition for its beneficiaries—the children themselves as well as those around them, such as teachers and parents or guardians—in a mountainous region of Vietnam with a high poverty rate and a significant proportion of malnourished children, as well as for being an outstanding initiative carried out under a carefully designed strategy and implementation plan. On these grounds, it received the award.

Under its 10-year vision, Morinaga Milk Group aims to become a global company that exerts a unique presence worldwide, while setting a target of achieving a global business sales ratio of at least 15% by the fiscal year ending March 2029.

Furthermore, under the theme of “Food and Well-being” in its Sustainability Medium- to Long-term Plan 2030, the Group has set out this vision: “By delivering high-quality value by utilizing the unique characteristics of the Morinaga Milk Group, we contribute to the health of 300 million people* and take other actions to improve people’s well-being.” Accordingly, the Group is advancing initiatives to deliver deliciousness and health to global markets.

Encouraged by this award, we will continue our contribution in Vietnam, one of the countries where we have significant business operations.

*1. Calculated as the estimated reach (number of people), comprising the projected number of people reached by relevant products contributing to the health of people worldwide from FY2021 to FY2030 and the projected number of participants in health-promotion and dietary-education activities provided by Morinaga Milk Group

About “Smiles & Health for Children”

Morinaga Milk launched its own school meal support program, “Smiles & Health for Children,” in May 2023, aiming to contribute to the improvement of children’s health and nutrition in Vietnam. Through this program, we have established the infrastructure needed to provide school meals in Vietnamese kindergartens (constructing cooking facilities) and have worked to enhance the knowledge and skills of teachers and healthcare staff regarding nutrition and hygiene.

In May 2026, we completed the third phase of the program and donated the cooking facilities we had constructed to the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training. To date, this program has benefited more than 900 children, over 130 teachers and health and cooking staff, as well as more than 800 parents or guardians.

For the fourth phase of the program, starting in July 2026, we will continue to utilize the support framework established through previous initiatives, encompassing both structural and non-structural aspects. On the non-structural side, we will further broaden the scope to include residents of the local community, and we will improve knowledge and skills related to nutrition and hygiene while strengthening knowledge and skills for assessing children’s nutrition and health.

In addition, we will hold our first “Study Tour,” in which teachers, staff, and parent representatives from the schools supported in the third phase will exchange experiences and insights with the teachers, staff, and parent representatives of the schools scheduled for support in the fourth phase, learning together from one another.

A newly constructed cooking facility (left: interior; right: exterior)		Students eating lunch prepared in the newly constructed cooking facility

Morinaga Milk Group’s Engagement with Vietnam

• Since 2010, Morinaga Milk Group has exported formula milk to Vietnam through its local agent, Le May Production, Trading and Service Company Limited (Le May Co.).
• In June 2021, to strengthen sales in the Vietnamese market, Morinaga Milk Group acquired Elovi Vietnam Joint Stock Company (Elovi Co.) as a wholly owned subsidiary, and in November 2022, commenced local production and sales of Morinaga Milk-branded products.
• In 2023, Morinaga Milk established a joint venture with Le May Co. and concluded a share transfer/acquisition agreement and a shareholders’ agreement to make Morinaga Le May Vietnam Joint Stock Company (Morinaga Le May Co.) a subsidiary.
• In March 2024, to further foster a sense of unity within the group, the name of Elovi Co. was changed to Morinaga Nutritional Foods Vietnam Joint Stock Company.