In many countries, rice contributes to health by supplying dietary energy, proteins and fat. Many different species of rice have been developed in Japan and other rice producing countries. Some varieties are expected to prevent various diseases, or to be used for dietary therapy. The health effects of brown rice are empirically well known, and accumulating evidence about the physiological and pharmacological activity of rice bran strongly supports the use of brown rice in the dietary therapy. These could be categorized in the new concept, "medical rice". For example: medical rice for diabetes (glycemic index<55), medical rice for chronic kidney disease (CKD) (protein<1/20), medical rice for mental health (high gamma-aminobutylic acid or γ-aminobutylic acid (GABA), gamma oryzanol (γ-oryzanol) and/or ferulic acid), and medical rice for cancer prevention (high antioxidant capacity). Organic cultivation is necessary to avoid toxic substances from fertilizers and insecticides. In response to the enormous increase of medical costs in many countries, encouragement of healthy longevity by changes of dietary habits is mandatory. Functional food labeling has started in 2015 in Japan, so the proper food labeling of medical rice could help people who want to control and/or improve their health status.

Many business continuity (BC) plans do not mention food and water for BC personnel. Moreover, the BC relies on the assumption that, during an emergency or crisis, employees’ basic needs and personal hygiene are satisfied. Although no one can engage in BC without these supplies, literature regarding companies’ disaster stocks for their employees is limited. We evaluated the current situation of companies’ stockpiles of food and other supplies and what their employees thought about them after participating in a newly-developed overnight training program that allows the participants to experience situations that they would encounter in a disaster. Thirty-three employees from eight companies in Tokyo participated in the program. Seventy-five percent of the participants’ companies had food stocks for three days as instructed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government but, after eating four stock meals, 81.3% of the participants thought it would be better if this provision were improved. The stock rate for bedding was 62.5% but less than 30% of companies stocked both blankets and mats, as suggested by the Sphere Standards. There were several people who complained of sleeplessness and a poor physical condition the next morning and this could be an obstacle in the BC.

Businesses in urban areas have been required to accommodate stranded persons as temporary evacuation facilities during disasters. Regarding measures aimed at aiding stranded persons, aspects such as trust and the image of the business need to be considered. Therefore, in this study, a personnel training course was developed to smoothly take in stranded persons, and the outcomes of this training were evaluated by quizzes, entry sheets, and a questionnaire. This was a two-day and one-night course characterized by the use of role-play in which 20 participants experienced the series of processes that unfold during disasters, playing either the role of a stranded person or a facility member. This training included emergency food provision using real stockpiled food and accommodation training using actual bedding stored in a model facility. After the review, when the participants were taught the correct response for vulnerable people, their scores in the test regarding the points of caution in vulnerable people were significantly higher than those prior to the course, confirming that participants had acquired knowledge as a result. Furthermore, through training using real food and accommodation, the participants were able to understand victims’ requirements by experiencing the need for satisfactory emergency rations and comfortable bedding.

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