The Nestlé Nutrition Council, Japan (NNCJ) was founded in 2005 to contribute to the progress of the nutritional sciences in Japan. Under the sponsorship of Nestlé S.A., NNCJ supports academic activities in the field of the nutritional sciences including the sensory reception of taste or flavor.
The biological sciences are developing very quickly. As nutritional science is a field of the modern biological sciences, it is also prospering very rapidly. For example, due to the studies undertaken over the last decade, mechanisms of the physiological role of many nutrients are being elucidated at the molecular level.
"Nutritional sciences to support reasonable growth rate" have been changed to "the nutritional sciences to support good physiological function". Furthermore, these days, we are able to know our genetic characteristics due to the success of the human genome project. This has made it possible to make a personal nutrition plan to support the healthy life of individuals based on their genetic information. This means that nutritional science in the 21st century is not "for groups of people" but "for each person".
Furthermore, in the field of sensory science, such prominent progress as the discovery of flavor receptors and taste receptors has been accomplished.
NNCJ will actively contribute to the development of the nutritional sciences, and ultimately of the wellbeing of Japanese society.