健康経営優良法人がさらに拡大｜食が最重要テーマになった理由

2026年度の「健康経営優良法人」認定企業数がさらに拡大し、1万社を超える規模となった。大企業部門・中小企業部門を合わせた認定数の拡大が続く中、注目されているのが「食の施策」だ。運動習慣やメンタルケアに並ぶ柱として、野菜摂取・栄養改善が最も従業員へのリーチが広い施策として再評価されている。

What 10,000 Companies Signal—Health and Productivity Management Has Become the Starting Line

The "Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organization" program promoted by METI certifies companies that view employee health management from a managerial standpoint and practice it strategically. For FY2026, certifications rose sharply from the prior year, topping 10,000 across large enterprises and SMEs combined.

As certified companies multiply, the bar for "getting certified" itself is shifting. Certification is becoming less a point of differentiation than a "statement of minimum commitment," and the field is starting to ask "what to do after certification." Companies delivering results consistently strengthen one thing: food-related measures.

Why "Food Measures" Are the Most Effective

The reason food draws attention among health-and-productivity measures is clear. Improving exercise habits depends on an individual's will and time, but food can be addressed by designing the workplace environment. Changing cafeteria menus, revising vending-machine lineups, placing healthy foods in the office—these affect all employees equally and can shift intake patterns without individual effort.

The issue that stands out especially is insufficient vegetable intake.For business people's vegetable shortage. A feature on vegetable support services usable at the office, as covered, busy working people's vegetable intake falls well short of the 350g target, and attention is turning to solutions in the office environment.

In practice, companies active in health and productivity management are increasingly running in-house seminars supervised by dietitians, placing dried vegetables and vegetable snacks in the office, and offering diet-improvement programs around health checkups.16 Popular Healthy Office Snacks! How to Choose Them for Health & Productivity Managementcompiles concrete examples of adoption in the workplace.

The Market Opportunity for Food Makers

The figure of 10,000 companies indicates a concrete market size for the food industry. Many certified companies now "budget for" employee diet-improvement measures, and commercial demand for processed foods, dried vegetables, and vegetable powder that let people take in vegetables easily is expanding.

What is especially valued is that it "lets you get vegetables without the hassle." In the busy office environment, dried vegetables and powder forms that require zero cooking are prized.Directly tied to improving corporate productivity! Key points for adopting health management, as laid out, easy vegetable top-ups earn high marks as a sustainable measure.

The number of certified organizations is expected to keep rising. The more companies seek to "build a track record after certification," the more demand accelerates for food makers with concrete diet-improvement solutions. The spread of the program is a tailwind for the food industry.

References:Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organizations 2026 Certification Results (METI press release)