01 Apr

Meros Calendar: This Spring is Seafood Season!

Posted by Team Meros in News

This spring is seafood season for Meros! Our co-founder Tina Peneva will be on stage at both the Global Seafood Expo in Barcelona on April 21-23 and the Blue Food Innovation Summit in London on May 27-28, 2026!

First up will be Barcelona, where Tina will be speaking on emerging seafood consumption trends in Japan within the changing global supply. Over the past two decades, per capita seafood consumption in Japan has nearly halved as more Japanese consumers opt for red meat and poultry, which is more affordable and easier to prepare. Tina will discuss the opportunities in this diminishing market and where global seafood and aquaculture suppliers can target in Japan. Topics will include:

  • What are the promising products, forms, and channels?
  • What shapes the seafood taste and buying choices of Japanese consumers?
  • Are consumers interested in global trends like sustainability?
  • What are the cultural attitudes towards seafood versus aquaculture, and how do they impact the growth of the sectors in Japan?

Then Tina is off to London’s Blue Food Innovation Summit where she’ll lead a panel on regional strategies shaping aquaculture’s global supply trends. This is a hot topic for us as the current Takaichi administration has added food tech to Japan’s national policy priorities, with a focus on land-based aquaculture.  This discussion will be a chance for us to engage both Japanese and European voices to discuss what aquaculture innovations are gaining traction, and how local technology advances are reshaping species competitiveness and global supply chains. Tina will be joined by panelists including Naoto Sato, the Managing Director of Nissui Europe, Chris Ninnes, CEO of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council UK and Arturo Clement, President of Salmonchile.

Interested in joining us in London? Feel free to use our code MEROS10 for an extra 10% off the Blue Food Summit (register here) ! And reach out to us for more info about either of these events.

03 Dec

Hiroshi Yamagishi joins as our newest research analyst – welcome!

Posted by Team Meros in News

We are thrilled to welcome our newest research analyst, Hiroshi Yamagishi.

Hiroshi has a background in international rural development with experience living and working in Europe and Egypt. He completed his International Master of Science in Rural Development from Ghent University in Belgium and has also spent time studying in Slovakia and Italy.

Before Meros he worked for development consulting company NTC International researching agricultural development issued in various regions, including Indonesia and Tajikistan. Previously Hiroshi worked at the Egyptian Biodynamic Association (EBDA) in Cairo. His work included regenerative agriculture and carbon credit projects, evaluating biodiversity efforts in Egypt and encouraging development cooperation between Japan and Egypt, engaging with stakeholders such as Heliopolis University and the Egyptian foundation SEKEM.

“I was so impressed by how Meros’s work covers all aspects of food supply chain systems. I deeply believe that it is critical to see food and agriculture industries as organic and interconnected systems. Understanding these complexities is the first step in creating more sustainable systems.”

His interest in sustainability within agricultural practices and supply chains is something he is looking to bring to our work in carbon markets, certification systems, aquaculture and other core topics of interest to our clients.

“I really hope to contribute to the Meros team with my experience in rural development and regenerative agriculture. I am looking forward to exploring more of the agri-food world and bringing diverse insights to the Meros network.”

Hiroshi is already involved in our food security projects on global grain production and trade with a focus on the Canadian grain industry. He has been with us less than a month and is already headed to Winnipeg and Toronto, Canada this month to meet with grain players. He is also doing research on GHG reduction strategies in Southeast Asia to support our work in Vietnam and Thailand on biochar and public-private cooperation initiatives.

Outside of work, Hiroshi is a coffee bean connoisseur, with a soft spot for Kenyan semi roasted beans and also especially enjoys Belgian and Middle Eastern cuisines. “I really love cuisines that use a variety of spices,” he says, a fact that will make him an immediate fit with the food-curious Meros team. His peperoncino pasta is apparently a great crowd favorite. He is also a fan of many Japanese foods. “Big love to omurice, tsukemen and oyakodon!”

Always interested in how food culture develops and changes, he has been observing vegetarian trends in Japan, “I am quite interested in how the vegetarian and vegan restaurant scene is developing in Japan.”

Hiroshi has a wide variety of interests including outdoor sports such as hiking, cycling and snowboarding, as well as traveling to explore local foods, museums and (when in Japan) hot springs. He has even taken on a new hobby – knitting – aiming to have new scarves ready for this winter. Perfect timing!

26 Sep

Meros’ fall research assistant Nodoka Kudo has arrived – welcome!

Posted by Team Meros in News

Nodoka is about to finish his Master of Public Policy degree from the Hertie School in Berlin, Germany and had previously completed his undergraduate degree at Keio University with a degree in Environment and Information Studies. Nodoka has had a fascinating background and experience growing up in various countries, including graduating from high school at an international school in Tanzania and spending his school years in Slovakia, Malaysia and the US.

“I was initially drawn to Meros by their international team working in the intersection between Japan and abroad. Having an international background myself, this company profile and working environment was ideal for me,” he explained. “More importantly, however, I applied because the work they do felt exciting. Because Meros is a rather small company with passionate people, I thought I could learn a lot while make some meaningful contributions.”

Nodoka has already joined a major Meros project related to carbon insetting standards, and he is helping us better understand EU funding and programs related to GHG emissions within key supply chains, such as dairy and meat.

He is luckily well-prepared to jump into these projects. “I have been interested in social and public issues throughout my studies, and I am interested in joining projects related to sustainability, particularly pertaining to carbon credits and the initiatives being taken to reduce GHG emissions. I hope to gain more practical insights about sustainability through these projects.”

To further dig into issues of carbon reduction and sustainability, Nodoka will also be working on an independent research project related to comparing current methods for measuring soil carbon, from satellite data to soil sensors, in order to identify the advantages and disadvantages of different technologies and the relationship between accurate soil carbon measurement and carbon markets.

Nodoka will also get a chance to work with some of our other teams, including our seafood team which is about to launch into interviewing industry experts on the potential for farmed eel and other premium farmed seafood in the Japan market

After many years out of Japan, Nodoka is looking forward to being back in Tokyo and exploring the city – and its foods. “I enjoy cuisines from around the world but I tend to have sustained preferences for dishes that have a good balance of tastiness and healthiness. A standard Japanese teishoku set with rice, miso soup and grilled fish, is one of my go-tos. That said, lately, I have definitely been indulging rather excessively in Hakata tonkotsu ramen!”