Withdrawal from Polysaccharide Thickener Business
February 4, 2025
The Mitsubishi Chemical Group has decided to withdraw from its business involving polysaccharide thickeners, a food additive, as follows.
１．Details of business withdrawal
・Manufacture and sale of polysaccharide thickeners
Manufacturing site: Toyama Plant, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (3 Kaigandori, Toyama-shi, Toyama Prefecture)
２．Background to business withdrawal
Polysaccharide thickeners are made from seaweed and plant seeds and provide thickening and gelling functions to processed foods. The MCG Group has been manufacturing and marketing these products.
In recent years, sales of polysaccharide thickeners have been decreasing in quantity owing to intensifying competition with other materials on the back of surging raw material prices. The MCG Group has endeavored to restructure the business through a range of measures including reducing fixed costs. However, following serious consideration of the business environment, the MCG Group has reached the conclusion that improvement of profitability and future growth would be extremely challenging and has thereby made a decision to withdraw from the business.
３．Schedule of business withdrawal (tentative)
・Termination of manufacture: End of September 2025
・Termination of marketing: End of March 2026
１．Details of business withdrawal
・Manufacture and sale of polysaccharide thickeners
Manufacturing site: Toyama Plant, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (3 Kaigandori, Toyama-shi, Toyama Prefecture)
２．Background to business withdrawal
Polysaccharide thickeners are made from seaweed and plant seeds and provide thickening and gelling functions to processed foods. The MCG Group has been manufacturing and marketing these products.
In recent years, sales of polysaccharide thickeners have been decreasing in quantity owing to intensifying competition with other materials on the back of surging raw material prices. The MCG Group has endeavored to restructure the business through a range of measures including reducing fixed costs. However, following serious consideration of the business environment, the MCG Group has reached the conclusion that improvement of profitability and future growth would be extremely challenging and has thereby made a decision to withdraw from the business.
３．Schedule of business withdrawal (tentative)
・Termination of manufacture: End of September 2025
・Termination of marketing: End of March 2026
