How long are you going to eat your lunch cold? Let's eat hot! Crowdfunding for "Thermal Bag with Heater

K&F Office, Inc. (Location: Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo; President: Takehiro Kikuchi) is crowdfunding on CAMPFIRE.

Many people have used food delivery services, which have grown rapidly over the past few years. Have you ever felt that the food you received at that time was "lukewarm"? The delivery person brings the food in an insulated bag, but the bag does not keep the food warm enough. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has been warning about "prevention of food poisoning in takeout and delivery" for several years. However, at present, awareness is not that high when selling in stores or during delivery, only at the time of production. K&F Office Inc. (Location: Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo; President: Takehiro Kikuchi) has developed the "Heat Insulated Bag with Heater," which can be used for this purpose.

URL: https://camp-fire.jp/projects/view/757649?utm_campaign=cp_po_share_c_msg_projects_show

Heated bag 1

Background of Project Launch

In order to address the "slow" and "lukewarm" complaints that are common in the delivery industry, we received a product development request from a certain delivery company, but the project was unilaterally terminated in the middle of the project. However, although we wanted to finish the product we had built up to this point, "slow" and "lukewarm" not only reduced customer satisfaction, but also increased the risk of food poisoning, so we wanted to solve the problem and cooperate with food safety. Therefore, in 2022, we exhibited for reference at an exhibition for the food and beverage industry to see if there was demand. We went to the exhibition with the understanding that all employees were aware that the current status of the food and beverage industry is based on keeping food cool and transporting it at low temperatures, and we were prepared to receive negative feedback. However, we received no negative comments, but rather requests for early commercialization of the product. We incorporated the requests we received at the exhibition and began new development, which led to the release of our current product.

World Recognition

Foods need to be stored at low temperatures. In a food poisoning case involving boxed lunches at an event in 2023, temperature control during transportation was pointed out as a problem. This incident occurred shortly after the product's launch and had a major impact, including the cancellation of plans to introduce the product. However, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has also announced on its website that if the product is kept at an appropriately high temperature, the risk of food poisoning bacteria can be controlled. If this product is used correctly, the central temperature of food can be maintained at 65°C or higher for 4 hours or more. The image of this product is a "hot warmer that can be carried around. We hope that many people will recognize this new way of ensuring food safety.

■Differentiated products

Unlike similar products currently on the market, this product is completely differentiated.

(1) Heating surface of the heater

Many other companies' products are coil-type heaters, which heat only the coil portion, leaving the rest of the surface at a medium temperature, making it impossible to heat the entire surface evenly. Also, because of the uneven surface, the surface in contact is small. However, this product's heater heats the special ink used on almost the entire surface evenly. Because the ink is printed, it is flat and thus heats evenly.

(2) Heating temperature

Most other products are at a low temperature of 40-45°C, a temperature at which bacteria, including food poisoning bacteria, can easily multiply. Some products can generate heat at 80°C or higher, but because the heating surface is small, they cannot uniformly heat or retain heat over the entire surface if the object is larger than the heating surface. Therefore, the object will be at a medium temperature except for the ground surface, which poses the same danger. However, this product's heater is sized to fit the size of the bag and heats at a high temperature (thermostat operating temperature OFF 80°C±5°C/ON 60°C or higher), thus minimizing temperature irregularities.

(3) Power supply method

Stationary products from other companies are compatible only with household electrical outlets (AC plug), and portable products are limited to mobile batteries. Although there are some products that can be used in a car's cigar socket, there are no products that can be used with a dedicated battery (portable), AC plug, and cigar socket, as this product can be. Therefore, this product can be used in a variety of situations and can be safely transported from the place where it is cooked to the place where it is sold, even if they are far from each other.

(4) Safe continuous use time

Even though other companies' products can adjust the temperature to 80°C or higher, they are limited to 2 hours or less to maintain the durability of the heat-generating material. However, this product can be used continuously for up to 100 hours, and tests have confirmed continuous operation for over 100 days with no quality defects. *For safety reasons, our product is not temperature-controlled.

(5) Evidence against bacteria

Other companies' products have not obtained evidence of bacteria. (Our products have been verified by the Tokyo Food Technology Research Institute of the Tokyo Meal Service Hygiene Association, which is authorized by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. We inspected general bacteria in handmade lunch boxes at our stores under four conditions: immediately after purchase, at room temperature, kept cold (approx. 10°C), and heated and kept warm. As a result, it was confirmed that the product was more effective in preventing bacterial growth than under the cold-keeping conditions. The tested bacteria are harmless to the human body, but were approved as evidence because their growth temperature is the same as that of food poisoning bacteria.

(6) Versatility of the dedicated heater

In other companies' products, heaters are built-in type, and basically cannot be added even if they are assembled type. However, this product can be easily added. The dedicated heater and power supply can be purchased as options to ensure further safety, or heating functions can be added by using your own cold storage bags. The flexibility of the bag also allows it to be curved and used to wrap your lunch in a slightly larger lunch bag.

(7) Bag Structure

Due to the nature of warm air to rise, heat is easily lost in conventional heat-retaining bags. However, this product has an integrated heat-retention sheet built in, which wraps the warming object, thereby helping it to be heated from below, and the sheet narrows the space, making it difficult for heat to escape. As a result, it becomes easier to keep the object warm.

■In what situations is it used?

Food delivery

1) If restaurants that make their own deliveries use this product, they can leave for multiple delivery destinations at the same time and still deliver food in a warm state. This makes deliveries more efficient and eliminates delays. Since the food can be served at a safe temperature with minimal risk of food poisoning, customer satisfaction can be improved by providing warm and safe meals instead of cold ones.

2) Delivery personnel are less likely to receive complaints about the use of the system, which may lead to tips in some cases.

Restaurants

1) Hot bento boxes can be provided by storing takeout items. This also eliminates the need to heat up the food in a microwave oven, thus reducing microwave traffic congestion.

2) If you are delivering boxed lunches, you can use the power supply at the delivery location to heat up the food to keep it warm so that customers can enjoy their lunch.

Kitchen Car

1) Ideal for keeping pre-cooked ingredients warm or for short-time preparation. *Requires firm explanation and approval from the respective health department.

2) Allows for the sale of PET bottle hot dring.

Lodging Business

1) Room service can be delivered from the kitchen to guest rooms, keeping the food warm. Also, by receiving each bag, collection is facilitated.

2) If a guest in a group is not feeling well, we can reduce concerns by minimizing contact when serving meals to rooms for quarantine.

3) Snacks sold at the poolside beverage counter can be kept warm. In addition, it allows for quick cleanup in the event of sudden rain.

4) Plates and hand towels can be heated and served in private rooms for meal service.

Individuals and households *Including disaster prevention

1) When serving a meal at a bring-your-own meal such as hanami (cherry blossom viewing), you can heat the food at home with an outlet and bring it to the venue with a battery. You can also take it out and place it under a special heater as a tray to delay the food from getting cold. A spare battery can be used for a longer period of time.

2) During long school vacations, lunch can be kept warm with this product instead of in the refrigerator and eaten immediately. There is no need to worry about burns from overheating in the microwave oven, and there is no need to worry about running out of battery power if the product is powered from an outlet. *The same can be used for family members who have different meal times.

3) While driving, you can warm up and eat your homemade lunch box by feeding it from a cigarette lighter socket or plug. Also, if the parking area is crowded and you have no choice but to take out, you can keep the food warm and eat it in the car at your leisure.

4) When you are out and about, such as on a drive, you can put a wet towel in a heat-resistant bag and heat it up to refresh yourself as a dobibori. In times of disaster or when you cannot take a warm bath, you can calm yourself by wiping yourself with a steaming towel.

5) If you can secure a power source during a disaster, you can properly heat retort foods to be boiled in hot water and eat them without using hot water or fire.

This product can be used in various situations other than those mentioned above.

Users' Voices

Personal use 30's couple

I used this product on a family vacation. At first I thought it would not be that good, but I put in the lunch I made in the morning and the rice balls were warm, and the sausage and fried chicken were also warm and delicious. The sausage was baked, so it usually gets cold and the oil turns white and hard, but it is not like that at all. The towel in the heatproof bag was also extremely warm, and I was able to relax my eyes after a long day of driving. I put the baby food lunch box in the bag a little before the meal and it was moderately warm. My child, who usually doesn't want to eat when the food is at room temperature, ate it smoothly.

Male in his 50s in the food and beverage industry

We operate a food and beverage concession stand at an event site, and in preparation for peak times, we cooked a large amount of food in advance and kept it warm in Styrofoam. However, at the time of sale, the temperature dropped and the potatoes wilted due to moisture. However, with the new product, the temperature can be maintained longer than before, and the problem of wilting potatoes has been solved. During the cold season, the sales staff was pleased that their hands were not as cold as in previous years. We hope everyone understands that while it is generally considered correct to keep food cold, on the other hand, it is also safe if stored at the proper high temperature.

Personal use Team sports related (youth teams)

Our team buys lunch boxes for the coaches (parent volunteers) at a convenience store during games, but the coaches rarely have a chance to eat together because they are assigned to referee games other than their own. If the lunch boxes are heated up after purchase and placed in the bag, the coaches can eat their hot lunches when it is convenient for them. Is this a way for us to show our appreciation to the coaches who work so hard with the children? I think it is a great way for us to show our appreciation to the coaches who work so hard with the children.

Corporate use

I learned about this product through a friend. We had a small problem with the microwaves getting crowded during our employees' lunch breaks. When the microwave is crowded, they feel like they are losing money even though their break time is the same. After introducing this heat-retention bag with heater, they are pleased that they can put their lunch box in the bag after coming to work and have a hot lunch right away.

Company Profile

Company Name ： K&F Office Inc.

Representative ： Takehiro Kikuchi

Location ： 5F Amano Building, 3-7-5 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo

Establishment ： 1993

Business : Clothing and accessories business / Media business / Stationery and novelty business / Assembly and logistics business

　　　　　 Assembly and logistics business / Printing business / Sign business

Capital ： 10 million yen

URL ： https://kandf.info/