More rice crackers, less peanuts: Japan firm to change popular snack after 'referendum'

NIIGATA -- Kameda Seika Co., based in this eastern Japan city, has announced that it has decided to change the ratio of rice crackers to peanuts in bags of its popular snack "Kameda no Kakinotane" based on an online poll held in autumn.

The new version of the snack will contain 70% rice crackers to 30% peanuts from as early as June. From the late 1970s, the distribution in a bag of Kameda no Kakinotane had been 60% rice crackers to 40% peanuts in terms of weight.

The company based in Niigata's Konan Ward invited consumers to vote on 11 options, ranging from 100% rice crackers by 0% peanuts, and vice versa, via its Twitter and LINE accounts between Oct. 1 and Nov. 27, 2019, in what it jokingly described as a national referendum. The "70% to 30%" option accounted for about 30% of the vote tally, totaling 75,598 ballots, easily defeating the "80% to 20%" option in second place and the "60% to 40%" split in third place.

Following the decision on the ratio change, the company will sell bags showing "Decision to break up the 60% to 40% ratio" on the label at supermarkets and other retailers in Japan until May. The regular sales price for a bag is around 280 yen excluding the 10% consumption tax.

(Japanese original by Hiroki Masuda, Niigata Bureau)