Japanese company sells male-only combat cookies to fight obesity

Serkan Toto

Dr. Serkan Toto is an independent consultant and advisor focusing on Japan’s web, mobile and social gaming industries. Based in Tokyo, he works together with financial institutions and startups worldwide. Serkan has been the Japan contributor for TechCrunch.com since 2008. He is sept-lingual, holds an MBA and is a PhD in economics. → Learn More

Friday, June 27th, 2008

Japanese health and beauty care company Greenhouse [JP] offers a special kind of cookies that are supposedly able to support men who are on a diet.

The so-called Otoko no kanpan – Sentou Ryoushoku [JP] (Men’s Crackers – Battle Provisions) come in boxes holding 500 grams of the cookies in 20 bags. Wheat flour, sugar, black sesame, seaweed powder and pumpkin paste are the main ingredients.

Greenhouse claims the cookies were given to Japanese soldiers during WWII and are based on an ancient Egyptian recipe. By eating 50 grams, men take in just 204 calories. According to Greenhouse, the nutritional value is the same you get from a typical Japanese lunch box with 850 calories.

The official tagline to promote sales of the crackers is: “Japanese men! Fight obesity! Fight against fat! This is it that you lead to win!” One box of the Nippon-only food costs $45.

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