Ajinomoto Co. Concludes an Agreement with Hanoi Medical University in Vietnam to Endow Instructor Training Courses to Nurture Dietitians A Joint Public-Private Initiative Project Involving Japan and Vietnam

Tokyo, August 6, 2012 - Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (Ajinomoto) announced that it has concluded an agreement with Vietnam's Hanoi Medical University1 and the National Institute of Nutrition2 to endow instructor training courses at Hanoi Medical University as one of its initiatives to nurture dietitians in Vietnam on August 3,2012. Formerly, Vietnam had no nutrition programs to nurture and qualify dietitians3. Under this agreement, the endowment Ajinomoto Co. donated will establish instructor training courses with the objective of subsequently establishing a Nutrition Department at Hanoi Medical University. This will result in a dietitian system with an educational framework for nurturing dietitians with specialized nutrition skills in the areas such as hospital nutrition management and school lunch programs. On August 3, 2012, about 70 people participated in the signing ceremony at Hanoi Medical University from Vietnamese government agencies including the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and Training, and the Ministry of Home Affairs (see photo at right). Director Kahn of the Ministry of Health's Scientific and Training Department gave a speech at the signing ceremony in which he said, "I have high expectations for the outcome of contribution the endowment will make to our society." The endowed instructor training courses are scheduled to begin on October 1, 2012, and aim to train approximately 10 instructors during the first year. Ajinomoto Co. plans to dispatch several of its dietitians to participate as instructors once the courses are established. Plans for nurturing dietitians call for the establishment of a Nutrition Department with a four-year course of study in October 2013 with the objective of producing approximately 40 dietitians annually. In endowing these instructor training courses, Ajinomoto Co. collaborated for two years beginning in 2010 with the Vietnam National Institute of Nutrition and The Japan Dietetic Association with the cooperation of Teiji Nakamura, President of Kanagawa University of Human Services and Chairman of The Japan Dietetic Association, and Dr. Shigeru Yamamoto, a professor of Jumonji University. Our goal is to use the framework and knowledge of the dietician system in Japan to contribute to activities to improve nutrition in Vietnam and extend these initiatives to Vietnam's neighbor countries in the future. Ajinomoto Co. will continue to help people lead healthy lives under its slogan of Eat Well, Live Well. 1. Hanoi Medical University: Vietnam's national university for training doctors. It is under the jurisdiction of Vietnam's Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Training, and has produced a large number of doctors as well as talented people who hold important government posts (http://www.hmu.edu.vn/news/default.asp). 2. National Institute of Nutrition: an organization under the jurisdiction of Vietnam's Ministry of Health that leads research and other activities associated with national clinical nutrition, nutritional science, food science, food safety, and hygiene management (http://viendinhduong.vn/home/en/112/Default.aspx). 3. Vietnam does not have dietitians. In 2009, 20 percent of Vietnam's citizens suffered from malnutrition (low body weight) due to the lack of leaders qualified instructors to handle nutrition management. Future Plans: October 2012: Establish endowed instructor training courses to nurture dietitians (objective: train approximately 10 instructors) October 2013: Establish a Nutrition Department with a four-year course of study at Hanoi Medical University (objective: train approximately 40 dietitians annually) September 2017: Vietnam's first dietitians will graduate Reference materials: Ajinomoto Co's Business in Vietnam We have been building our seasonings and food products businesses in Vietnam since establishing Ajinomoto Vietnam Co., Ltd. 21 years ago in 1991. Ajinomoto Co. locally manufactures and markets products including AJI-NO-MOTO® and Aji-ngon® seasonings. Initiatives to Improve Nutrition Ajinomoto Group has been conducting the following initiatives to improve nutrition for children in various countries in Southeast Asia, South America and Africa (Table 1). Furthermore, in 1999 Ajinomoto Group commemorated the 90th anniversary of its establishment by creating the Ajinomoto International Cooperation Network for Nutrition and Health (AIN) and initiated activities to support international cooperation in the areas of food and nutrition. AIN looks for projects largely from non-government organizations (NGOs) and non-profit organizations (NPOs). It selects projects based on expert surveys and studies by Ajinomoto Group employees, and then supports nutrition education and other programs in cooperation with local Group companies (Table 2). Table 1: Initiatives to Improve Nutrition for Children Table 2: AIN Program Support during Fiscal 2012 (13 Projects in 9 Countries) About Ajinomoto Co. Ajinomoto Co. is a global manufacturer of high-quality seasonings, processed foods, beverages, amino acids, pharmaceuticals and specialty chemicals. For many decades Ajinomoto Co. has contributed to food culture and human health through wide-ranging application of amino acid technologies. Today, the company is becoming increasingly involved with solutions for improved food resources, human health and global sustainability. Founded in 1909 and now operating in 26 countries, Ajinomoto Co. had net sales of JPY 1,197.3 billion (USD 15.1 billion) in fiscal 2011. For more about Ajinomoto Co., (TYO: 2802), visit www.ajinomoto.com. For further information, please contact: Ajinomoto Co., Inc. Public Communications Department; pr_info@ajinomoto.com

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