Bisco, a cream sandwich biscuit made by Japan's Kawasaki Glico Company, and instant noodles made by Nisshin Food Company, such as chicken-flavored noodles, with longer shelf life, are popular as emergency food. Despite the earthquake in East Japan nearly two years ago, consumers are still hoping to prepare some canned food on hand just in case.

 

Kyoto News Agency reported that GREE was selling Bisco cans in 2007. Drawing on the experience of the Osaka-Shenzhen earthquake, the company began to develop goods useful to the victims and extended the shelf life of cans from one to five years by sealing them.

 

After the East Japan earthquake, "Bisco preserved canned food" as an emergency food has attracted much attention. Total sales of the 80 year old "Bisco" cookies series hit a new high in 2011 and 2012. "Consumers want to make familiar foods taste familiar," the company's public relations official said.

 

Nikko Foods has also developed canned "chicken-flavored noodles" and "kappa" that extend the shelf life of five to six months to three years. Due to large orders from local governments and enterprises, the number of sales to ordinary consumers is limited. The next is expected to be sold in online stores in early May.

 

By removing oxygen from the manufacturing process, Ito successfully extended the shelf life of the canned vegetable beverage "Enriched Vegetables" from one year to two years in the fall of 2011, and its sales in 2012 were about double that of the previous year. The company said that "convenient nutrition can be added to the disaster."