On July 25, 2025, JCCU held a "Children's Visiting Day" at its Laboratory. This event allows the children of JCCU employees to visit their parents' workplace and learn about the Co-op's work and products in a fun and engaging way.

This initiative began in FY2023 and aims to deepen mutual understanding between parents and children, while also enhancing childcare support and strengthening staff engagement, attachment, and motivation toward their workplace. The event was attended by 19 JCCU employees and their elementary school-aged children.

This was the second time that JCCU held a "Children's Visiting Day" at the Product Inspection Center. This year's event offered programs that invited children to explore the wonders of science through four fun themes: "Coloring," "Freezing," "Measuring/Shaking," and "Counting."

Participants shared comments such as: "I was surprised that we could make ice cream using just milk, sugar, salt, and ice," "It was fun to go into the freezer and freeze a towel," and "I realized that my mother's workplace has so many machines."

Looking ahead, JCCU plans to continue promoting initiatives that enhance staff engagement, foster interdepartmental exchange, and support childcare efforts.

(1) "Coloring"

Participants extracted pigments from food and adsorbed them onto polyamide beads, a biodegradable alternative to conventional microplastic beads. Using these beads, they conducted an experiment to differentiate artificial colorings from natural pigments.

(2) "Freezing"

This year, children once again swung wet towels inside a freezer set at -20°C, thrilled to watch them freeze and harden. The demonstration also included supercooled water, which remains liquid even at -20°C. When a plastic bottle of this water was struck, it froze instantly, eliciting cheers from the participants.

(3) "Measuring and Shaking"

Using an analytical device to measure lipids, the children determined the fat content of milk, with each child participating in different steps of the process. Next, they applied the principle of freezing-point depression with a mixture of salt and ice to make ice cream. A bag containing milk and sugar was placed into the ice-and-salt mixture, which had dropped below -10°C, and shaken for five minutes. Amid cheers of "It's cold!" and "Delicious!" they learned that the finished ice cream is legally classified as "ice milk," gaining an understanding of food labeling.

(4) "Counting"

Participants explored how many live lactic acid bacteria are contained in a single bottle of "CO·OP Lactic Acid Drink." Using measuring instruments, they counted the bacterial colonies grown in petri dishes and were amazed at the sheer number. The children also learned about microorganisms and gained hands-on experience operating the testing equipment.