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Cattle feeding

There are different systems of feeding cattle in animal husbandry. For pastured animals, grass is usually the forage that composes the majority of their diet. In turn, this grass-fed approach is known for producing meat with distinct flavor profiles. Cattle reared in feedlots are fed hay supplemented with grain, soy and other ingredients to increase the energy density of the feed. The debate is whether cattle should be raised on fodder primarily composed of grass or a concentrate. The issue is complicated by the political interests and confusion between labels such as "free range", "organic", or "natural". Cattle raised on a primarily foraged diet are termed grass-fed or pasture-raised; for example meat or milk may be called grass-fed beef or pasture-raised dairy. The term "pasture-raised" can lead to confusion with the term "free range", which does not describe exactly what the animals eat.

Grazing
Grazing by cattle is practiced in rangelands, pastures and grasslands. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, about 60% of the world's grassland is occupied by grazing systems. "Grazing systems supply about 9 percent of the world's production of beef ... For an estimated 100 million people in arid areas, and probably a similar number in other zones, grazing livestock is the only possible source of livelihood."

Integrated livestock-crop farming
In this system, cattle are primarily fed on pastures, crop residues and fallows. Mixed farming systems are the largest category of livestock system in the world in terms of production.

Feedlot and intensive finishing
Feedlot and intensive finishing are intensive forms of animal production. Cattle are often "finished" here, spending the last months before their slaughter gaining weight. They are fed nutritionally dense feed, also known as "concentrate", in stalls, pens and feedlots at high stocking densities in enclosures. This achieves maximal rates of liveweight gain.

Grass-fed
Grass and other forage compose most or the majority of a grass-fed diet. There is debate whether cattle should be raised on diets primarily composed of pasture (grass) or on a concentrated diet of grain, soy, and other supplements. The issue is often complicated by the political interests and confusion between labels such as "free range", "organic", and "natural". Cattle reared on a primarily forage diet are termed grass-fed or pasture-raised; meat or milk may be called "grass-fed beef" or "pasture-raised dairy". The term "pasture-raised" can lead to confusion with the term "free range" which describes where the animals reside, but not what they eat. Thus, cattle can be labelled free-range yet not necessarily be grass-fed, and vice versa, and organic beef can be either or none. Another term adopted by the industry is grass-finished (also, 100% grass-fed ), for which cattle are said to spend 100% of their lives on grass pasture. The Agricultural Marketing Service of the United States Department of Agriculture previously had a regulated standard for certification as "Grass Fed" meat, but withdrew the standard in 2016. However, producers must still apply the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service for the right to put "grass fed" on a label.

Corn-fed
Cattle called corn-fed, grain-fed or corn-finished are typically raised on maize, soy and other types of feed. Some corn-fed cattle are raised in concentrated animal feeding operations known as feed lots.

In the United States, dairy cattle are often supplemented with grain to increase the efficiency of production and reduce the area needed to support the energy requirements of the herd.

A high-energy diet increases milk output, measured in pounds or kilograms of milk per head per day.

Barley-fed
In Western Canada beef cattle are usually finished on a barley-based diet.

Flax
In some parts of the world flax (or linseed) is used to make linseed oil, and the substance is mixed with other solid cattle feed as a protein supplement. It can only be added at low percentages due to the high fat content, which is unhealthy for ruminants. One study found that feeding flax seeds may increase omega-3 content and improve marbling in the resultant beef, while another found no differences.

Other supplements
There are many alternative feeds and supplements which are given to cattle; these range from alfalfa and other forages, silages of diverse plants, crop residues such as pea regrowth, straw or seed hulls, residues from other production such as oilseed meal cake, molasses, whey, and crops such as beets or sorghum.

Medicinal and synthetic products
Cattle feed may also include various substances such as glycerol, veterinary drugs, growth hormones, feed additives or nutraceuticals to improve production efficiency.

Antibiotics
Antibiotics are routinely given to livestock, which account for 70% of the antibiotic use in the United States. This practice contributes to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Antibiotic resistance is a naturally occurring phenomenon throughout the world due to the overuse and/or inappropriate use of antibiotics. The most common form of antibiotics are called ionophores. Ionophores were originally developed as coccidiostats for poultry, and prevent coccidiosis in cattle as well. Ionophores work by improving both feed efficiency and growth rate, and lower methane production as one result. These effectively work as growth promoters due to an increase in food and water uptake and increase the digestive effectiveness of the animal.

Antibiotics are used in the cattle industry for therapeutic purposes in the clinical treatment of infections and prophylactically for disease prevention by controlling the growth of potentially harmful bacteria. Because of their effectiveness in the treatment and prevention of diseases, there is an increased efficiency of the farm. This results in reduced costs for cattle producers, and for consumers. Antibiotics are also present in antibacterial cleaning products, and in disinfection products used in farm and veterinary practices.

A critical journalist has claimed that the lower population density in free-range animals need decreased antibiotics usage, and has conjectured that cattle would not get sick if they were not fed a corn-based diet. However, bovine respiratory disease, the most common reason for antibiotic therapy, has risk factors common in both forms of production (feedlot and pasture finished).

Safety
Due to concerns about antibiotics residues getting into the milk or meat of cattle, there are regulatory agencies and measures in place in order to ensure that foods produced do not contain antibiotics at a level which will cause harm to consumers in the United States and Canada.

Growth stimulants
The use of supplemental growth hormones is controversial. The benefits of using growth hormones includes improved feed efficiency, carcass quality and rate of muscle development. The cattle industry takes the position that the use of growth hormones allows plentiful meats to be sold for affordable prices. Using hormones in beef cattle costs $1.50 and adds between 40 and 50 lb to the weight of a steer at slaughter, for a return of at least $25.

Bovine somatotropin, or bovine growth hormone, is a naturally produced protein in cattle. Recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST), or recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), is growth hormone produced using microbes with modified (recombinant) DNA. The manufactured product Posilac, which was approved in the United States in 1993, was Monsanto's first genetically-modified venture in that country; however, its use has been controversial. As of 2002, testing could not yet distinguish between artificial hormones and those naturally produced by the animal itself, but as of 2011, it was remarked that the amino acids differ. Some studies report an increased presence in humans of rBGH and its IGF-1 product molecule.

Safety
There exists customer concern about growth hormone use being linked to a number of human health problems, such as precocious puberty or cancer. However, there is no concrete evidence to give credence to these concerns. In Canada, all veterinary drugs used in food production processes are required to pass tests and regulations set by the Veterinary Drugs Directorate (VDD) and are enforced by the Food and Drug Act of Health Canada. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) monitors all food products in Canada by sampling and testing by veterinarians and inspectors working on behalf of the provincial and federal governments. They monitor the food supply to condemn and destroy any product that is unacceptable. In the rare case where the CFIA have found a residue, it has been substantially below the Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) acceptable for safe consumption, this is the maximum amount of a drug residue that may remain in a food product at the time of human consumption based on Acceptable Daily Intakes (ADI). The ADI level is determined from toxicology studies to be the highest amount of a substance that can be consumed daily throughout a lifespan without causing adverse effects. Beef hormone residues are MRLs that have been established by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of the United Nations. The World Health Organization stated that the hormone levels are indistinguishable between implanted and non-implanted animals.

There are three natural hormones (estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone), naturally present in cattle and humans, their synthetic alternatives (zeranol, melengestrol acetate, and trenbolone acetate) have been approved by the VDD for use in Canadian beef production. Studies show that the contribution of hormones from beef consumption is minuscule compared to the quantities produced naturally in the human body. For comparison, an adult male will produce 136,000 ng of estrogen on a given day; whereas the estrogen levels present in a 6-ounce serving of beef from a treated animal is only approximately 3.8 ng. In other words, a human being will produce almost 36,000 times the amount of estrogen in one day that would be present in a piece of beef produced with the growth hormones. Thus, current scientific evidence is insufficient to support the hypothesis that any diseases are caused by ingested hormones due to hormonal substance use in animals. However, the differences between levels in treated and non-treated animals were deemed significant enough for the EU to ban imports of U.S. beef.

Drought fodder for extensive rangeland agriculture
Increasing intensities and frequencies of drought events put rangeland agriculture under pressure in semi-arid and arid geographic areas. Innovative emergency fodder production concepts have been reported, such as bush-based animal fodder production in Namibia. During extended dry spells, farmers have turned to use woody biomass fiber from encroacher bush as a primary source of cattle feed, adding locally available supplements for nutrients as well as to improve palatability.

Effects of feed on health
Flax seeds suppress inflammatory effects from bovine respiratory disease (BRD) often affecting stressed cattle during transport and processing. BRD can lead to lung tissue damage and impair the performance of the cattle leading to a low final body mass at slaughter, or premature death.

Marbling and fats
Most grass-fed beef is leaner than feedlot beef, lacking marbling, which lowers the fat content and caloric value of the meat. Meat from grass-fed cattle has higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and the omega-3 fatty acids, ALA, EPA, and DHA.

A study showed that tissue lipids of North American and African ruminants were similar to pasture-fed cattle, but dissimilar to grain-fed cattle. The lipid composition of wild ruminant tissues may serve as a model for dietary lipid recommendations in treating and preventing chronic disease.

Dairy
In 2021, food management system expert Sylvain Charlebois remarked on the industry's use of palm oil, given as palmitic acid supplements, to augment the output of milk product: they "are marketed as a way to increase milk output and boost fat content" but a "review by the Dairy Research and Extension Consortium of Alberta found that butter made from cows fed palm oil remains difficult to spread at room temperature." Consumers were dismayed because the physical characteristics of the dairy products had undergone a significant change, notably in increased hardness and increased melting point of the palm oil supplemented butter, although an item published in The Globe and Mail attempted to blame the consumer for the actions of the producer. Charlebois noted that this was not beneficial to the consumer, who was surprised and had not been notified of the social contract variation to his disadvantage.

Taste
The cow's diet affects the flavor of the resultant meat and milk. A 2003 Colorado State University study found that 80% of consumers in the Denver-Colorado area preferred the taste of United States corn-fed beef to Australian grass-fed beef, and negligible difference in taste preference compared to Canadian barley-fed beef, though the cattle's food was not the only difference in the beef tested, nor is Denver a representative sample of the world beef market, so the results are inconclusive.

Remarkably, in some circumstances, cattle are fed wine or beer. It is believed that this improves the taste of the beef. This technique has been used both in Japan and France.

Nutrition
Animal products for human consumption from animals raised on pasture have shown nutritional differences from those of animals raised on other feedstuffs.

E. coli
Escherichia coli, although considered to be part of the normal gut flora for many mammals (including humans), has many strains. Strain E. coli 0157:H7 can cause foodborne illness. A study found that grass-fed animals have as much as eighty percent less E. coli in their guts than their grain-fed counterparts, though this reduction can be achieved by switching an animal to grass only a few days prior to slaughter. Also, the amount of E. coli they do have is much less likely to survive our first-line defense against infection: stomach acid. This is because feeding grain to cattle makes their normally pH-neutral digestive tract abnormally acidic; over time, the pathogenic E. coli becomes acid resistant. If humans ingest this acid-resistant E. coli via grain-feed beef, a large number of them may survive past the stomach, causing an infection. A study by the USDA Meat and Animal Research Center in Lincoln Nebraska (2000) has confirmed the Cornell research.

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy
Meat and bone meal can be a risk factor for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), when healthy animals consume tainted tissues from infected animals. People concerned about Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD), which is also a spongiform encephalopathy, may favor grass-fed cattle for this reason. In the United States, this risk is relatively low as feeding of protein sources from any ruminant to another ruminant has been banned since 1997. The problem becomes more complicated as other feedstuffs containing animal by-products are still allowed to be fed to other non-ruminants (chickens, cats, dogs, horses, pigs, etc.). Therefore, at a feed mill mixing feed for pigs, for instance, there is still the possibility of cross-contamination of feed going to cattle. Since only a tiny amount of the contaminating prion begins the cascading brain disease, any amount of mixed feed could cause many animals to become infected. This was the only traceable link among the cattle with BSE in Canada that led to the recent US embargo of Canadian beef. No cases of BSE have been reported so far in Australia. This is largely due to Australia's strict quarantine and biosecurity rules that prohibit beef imports from countries known to be infected with BSE.

However, according to a report filed in The Australian on February 25, 2010, those rules were suddenly relaxed and the process to submit beef products from known BSE-infected countries was allowed (pending an application process). But less than a week later, Tony Burke, the Australian Minister For Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry swiftly overturned the decision and placed a 'two year stop' on all fresh and chilled beef products destined for Australia from BSE known countries of origin, thereby relaxing fears held by Australians that contaminated US beef would find its way onto Australian supermarket shelves after a long absence.

Soybean meal is cheap and plentiful in the United States. As a result, the use of animal byproduct feeds was never common, as it was in Europe. However, U.S. regulations only partially prohibit the use of animal byproducts in feed. In 1997, regulations prohibited the feeding of mammalian byproducts to ruminants such as cattle and goats. However, the byproducts of ruminants can still be legally fed to pets or other livestock such as pigs and poultry such as chickens. In addition, it is legal for ruminants to be fed byproducts from some of these animals.

Campylobacter
Campylobacter, a bacterium that can cause another foodborne illness resulting in nausea, vomiting, fever, abdominal pain, headache and muscle pain, was found by Australian researchers to be carried by 58% of cattle raised in feedlots versus only 2% of pasture raised and finished cattle.

Environmental concerns
For environmental reasons, a study by Burney et al. advocates intensifying agriculture by making it more productive per unit of land, instead of raising cattle on pasture. Complete adoption of farming practices like grass-fed beef production systems would increase the amount of agricultural land needed and produce more greenhouse gas emissions. In some regions, livestock grazing has degraded natural environments such as riparian areas.

Country-specific
Beef production tends to be concentrated, with the top six producers—the U.S., the European Union, Brazil, Australia, Argentina, and Russia—accounting for about 60% of global production. Significant shifts among producers have occurred over time. Cattle production worldwide is differentiated by animal genetics and feeding methods, resulting in differing quality types. Cattle are basically residual claimants to crop or land resources. Those countries with excess or low-value land tend to grass-feed their cattle herds, while those countries with excess feed grains, such as the U.S. and Canada, finish cattle with a grain ration. Grain-fed cattle have more internal fat (i.e., marbling) which results in a more tender meat than forage-fed cattle of a similar age. In some Asian countries such as Japan, which is not a grain-surplus country, tastes and preferences have encouraged feeding grain to cattle, but at a high cost since the grain must be imported.

Canada
The majority of beef cattle in Ontario are finished on a corn (maize)-based diet, whereas Western Canadian beef is finished on a barley-based diet. This rule is not absolute, however, as producers in both regions will alter the mix of feed grains according to changes in feed prices. Research by the Ontario government claims that, while Alberta beef producers have organized a successful marketing campaign promoting Alberta's barley-fed beef, corn-fed and barley-fed beef have a similar cost, quality, and taste.

Regulations on veterinary drug use in food animals and drug-residue testing programs ensure that the product in the grocery store is free of residue from antibiotics or synthetic hormones used in livestock.

The Animal Nutrition Association of Canada has developed a comprehensive Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) system for animal feed production called Feed Assure. This mandatory HACCP-based program includes a requirement for independent audits of feed mills including production processes and record keeping. The Canadian Cattlemen's Association has also developed a HACCP based on-farm food safety program.

A complete HACCP system is mandatory for all federally inspected establishments. These systems include prerequisite programs, which are general procedures or good manufacturing practices that enhance food safety for all meat production processes. HACCP plans build on this foundation and are designed to control potential hazards for specific production processes.

Alberta beef
Alberta has become the center of the western Canadian beef industry and has 70% of the feedlot capacity and 70% of the beef processing capacity in Canada.

The Canadian province of Alberta has a very large land area (similar to Texas) and has more than 210000 km2 of agricultural land, or about four times as much as Ontario. Because much of the land is better suited for cattle grazing than crop growing, it raises 40 percent of the cattle in Canada—about five million head. The other three western provinces are also well-endowed with land fit for grazing, so nearly 90 percent of Canadian beef cattle are raised in Alberta and the other western provinces. Alberta is outside the corn belt because the climate is generally too cool and too dry to grow corn for grain. The adjacent western provinces and northern US states are similar, so the use of corn as cattle feed has been limited at these northern latitudes. As a result, few cattle are raised on corn as a feed. The majority are raised on grass and finished on cold-tolerant grains such as barley. This has become a marketing feature of the beef.

The Alberta beef label found on some beef is not an indication of origin; this is a brand that only indicates that the beef was processed in Alberta. A percentage of the cattle have been raised in other western provinces or in the northwestern United States. These cattle are generally processed similarly, and are said to be distinct from the typically corn-fed beef produced in most of the US and Ontario. Under World Trade Organization rules, all of the beef produced in Alberta can be considered to be Alberta beef.

United States
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) there are 25–33 million feed cattle moving through custom and commercial cattle feed yards annually. The monthly USDA "Cattle on Feed Report" is available for public viewing.

Labelling
The USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) released a revised proposal for a grass-fed meat label for its process-verified labelling program in May 2006. This established a standard definition for the "grass-fed" claim which required continuous access to pasture and animals not being fed grain or grain-based products. The Union of Concerned Scientists, which in general supported the labelling proposal, claimed that the label, which contained the clause "consumption of grain in the immature stage is acceptable", allowed for "feed harvesting or stockpiling methods that might include significant amounts of grain" because the term "immature" was not clearly defined. The label was revoked by the USDA on January 12, 2016, claiming it had no jurisdiction over what should be FDA regulations.

Until 2015, the US had mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) rules requiring that foreign beef be labelled as such under a complicated set of rules, but in 2015 the World Trade Organization ruled that the US was a violation of international trade law, so the US law was repealed.

title: Cattle feeding


text: Category:Internet forums

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User talk:Holyjoe

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Hi, I am Evan and I am willing to help mediate in this matter having some knowledge in Asian football culture and history. I am not a Cabal Mediator but I believe the issue is not too complex and rather clearly presented. If you approve of my credentials here, do let me know either through here or at my talk page. -- Evanx  (tag?) 01:01, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

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Maruti Suzuki

Maruti Suzuki India Limited is the Indian subsidiary of Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor Corporation. It was established by the Government of India as Maruti Udyog Limited in February 1981 as a joint venture with Suzuki. Maruti opened its first production facility in Gurugram, Haryana, in 1982.

Initially, Maruti was majority owned by the Indian government, with Suzuki only taking a 26% stake during its establishment in 1982. The Indian government gradually reduced its stake, partially departed the business in 2003 and then sold all of its remaining shares to Suzuki Motor Corporation in 2007.

As of September 2022, the company had a leading market share of 42 percent in the Indian passenger car market.

Pre-Suzuki affiliation
The Maruti name can be traced back to a previous company that was established by the third Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's son, Sanjay Gandhi. In the early 1970s, the Indian government initiated the search for a small car manufacturer. At that time, India had already been manufacturing cars for several years, and the idea of a more affordable "people's car" had been discussed since the 1950s.

Sanjay Gandhi, known for his passion for cars, apprenticed with Rolls-Royce in Crewe, UK for three years. Upon his return in 1968, he recognized the potential of small car production in the private sector. Both the government and the Planning Commission endorsed the concept. Sanjay Gandhi subsequently initiated his automotive project, establishing operations in a rented garage near Roshanara Bagh in Old Delhi. Contrary to the previous belief, later revelations indicated he had earned only a relatively minor qualification in mechanical engineering.

The government issued a letter of intent in September 1970, which allowed Sanjay Gandhi to produce up to 50,000 cars in a year. In August 1971, Maruti Motors Limited was established with Sanjay Gandhi becoming its first managing director. He acquired 297 acres of land in Gurgaon at a cost of approximately Rs 12,000 per acre to establish his Maruti factory. Initially, plans were laid out to manufacture an indigenous car priced at around Rs 8,000. However, the cost of the vehicle escalated to approximately Rs 16,500 (ex-showroom) and about Rs 21,000 on the road in Haryana. Despite the increase in price, the Maruti car remained competitively priced, being Rs 5,000-10,000 cheaper than its counterparts.

The first prototype of the Maruti car was completed in 1972, with production anticipated to commence by April 1973, as promised by Sanjay Gandhi. He made the chassis by himself at his workshop, and a Triumph motorcycle engine was used to propel the car. Amid allegations of nepotism, the Maruti car underwent a feasibility test by the Vehicle Research & Development Establishment in Ahmednagar. The prototype failed the test, being deemed unsuitable for road use. Nonetheless, in July 1974, Maruti was granted an industrial license to produce 50,000 cars. However, the actual production output at Sanjay Gandhi's factory fell short of the initial target. Despite the projection to commence production at a rate of 12-20 units per month and escalate to 200 units per day, only 21 units were manufactured by 31 March 1976.

Sanjay Gandhi's involvement in politics during the Emergency further complicated the project's progress. Following Indira Gandhi's defeat in the 1977 election and a court order for Maruti's dissolution in 1978, the project faced uncertain prospects. With Indira's return to office in 1980 and Sanjay's death in a plane crash, the Government of India intervened and assumed control of Maruti through legislative measures.

Tie-up with Suzuki
Following Sanjay's death, his mother Indira tasked Arun Nehru with evaluating the feasibility of resurrecting her son's vision to develop India's affordable car. Nehru acknowledged the project's potential but emphasised the need for expertise from an experienced manufacturer. Subsequently, a team was assembled to explore potential collaborations with manufacturers globally. The Indian government started engaging in negotiations with Suzuki in April 1982. Following several months of preparations, Suzuki of Japan and Maruti Udyog Ltd. signed a license and joint venture agreement in October 1982. Initially, Suzuki acquired a modest 26 percent stake in the joint venture, owing to their constrained capital and perceived risks, despite the Indian government's preference for Suzuki to take a 40 percent foreign equity share. Both parties reached a consensus, stipulating that Suzuki would increase its stake to 40 percent after five years. Both the venture partners also entered into an agreement to nominate their candidate for the post of managing director and every managing director would have a tenure of five years. Suzuki later increased its equity to 50% in 1992, and further to 56.21% as of 2013.

Maruti was granted permission to import two Suzuki vehicles that were completely assembled in the first two years of India's closed market, with an initial target of using just 33% domestic components. This greatly displeased the nearby manufacturers. There were some concerns that the Indian market would not support Maruti Suzuki's relatively high production levels, and the government even considered changing the petrol tariff and decreasing the excise fee to increase sales. Local production commenced in December 1983 with the introduction of the SS30/SS40 Suzuki Fronte/Alto-based Maruti 800. In 1984, the Maruti Van with the same three-cylinder engine as the 800 was released. Maruti targeted annual production of 20,000 cars in the first year, and 40,000 in the second year at the Gurgaon plant. However, the rapid success of Maruti exceeded expectations of Suzuki. Within the first year, the company received an 120,000 bookings, much to Suzuki's surprise. Despite facing overwhelming demand, Maruti encountered challenges in meeting orders due to capacity limitations. The surge in demand necessitated a complete overhaul of its production strategy, by adjusting the ratio between the 800 and the van.

The Suzuki SJ410-based Gypsy, a 970 cc 4-wheel drive off-road vehicle, was introduced in 1985. The 100,000th car manufactured by the firm was the 796 cc hatchback Suzuki Alto (SS80), which succeeded the original 800 in 1986. In 1987, the company started exporting to western markets, when a lot of 500 cars were sent to Hungary. By 1988, the capacity of the Gurgaon plant was increased to 100,000 units per annum.

Until 1992–1993, Maruti faced constraints in increasing capacity due to the need for foreign exchange. Moreover, securing funding for expansion was challenging, especially during the Indian economic crisis of 1991. The Indian government stipulated that expansion could only proceed with foreign loans to cover costs. Eventually, Maruti secured aid from Axiom Bank in Japan, allowing them to finance the foreign exchange component of their expansion. This enabled Maruti to establish a new production line in the Gurgaon plant, addressing the persistent issue of shortages.

In 1989, the Maruti 1000 was introduced and the 970 cc, three-box was India's first contemporary sedan. By 1991, 65 percent of the components, for all vehicles produced, were indigenized. After the liberalization of the Indian economy in 1991, Suzuki increased its stake in Maruti to 50 percent, making the company a 50-50 joint venture with the government of India as the other stakeholder.

In 1993, the Zen, a 993 cc engine hatchback was launched, and in 1994 the 1,298 cc Esteem sedan was introduced. Maruti produced its 1 millionth vehicle since the commencement of production in 1994. Maruti's second plant was opened with an annual capacity reaching 200,000 units. Maruti launched a 24-hour emergency on-road vehicle service. In 1998, the new Maruti 800 was released, being the first change in design since 1986. Zen D, a 1,527 cc diesel hatchback, Maruti's first diesel vehicle, and a redesigned Omni were introduced. In 1999, the 1.6-litre Maruti Baleno three-box sedan and Wagon R were also launched.

In 2000, Maruti became the first car company in India to launch a call center for internal and customer services. The new Alto model was released. In 2001, Maruti True Value, selling and buying used cars was launched. In October of the same year, the Maruti Versa was launched. In 2002, Esteem Diesel was introduced. Two new subsidiaries were also started: Maruti Insurance Distributor Services and Maruti Insurance Brokers Limited. Suzuki Motor Corporation increased its stake in Maruti to 54.2 percent.

In 2003, the new Suzuki Grand Vitara XL-7 was introduced while the Zen and the Wagon R were upgraded and redesigned. The four millionth Maruti vehicle was built and they entered into a partnership with the State Bank of India. Maruti Udyog Ltd. was listed on BSE and NSE after a public issue, which was oversubscribed tenfold. In 2004, the Alto became India's best-selling car overtaking the Maruti 800 after nearly two decades. The five-seater Versa 5-seater, a new variant, was created while the Esteem was re-launched. Maruti Udyog closed the financial year 2003–04 with an annual sale of 472,122 units, the highest ever since the company began operations, and the fiftieth lakh (5 millionth) car rolled out in April 2005. The 1.3-litre Suzuki Swift five-door hatchback was introduced in 2005.

In 2006, Suzuki and Maruti set up another joint venture called Maruti Suzuki Automobiles India to build two new manufacturing plants, one for vehicles and one for engines. Cleaner cars were also introduced, with several new models meeting the new Bharat Stage III emission standards. In February 2012, Maruti Suzuki sold its ten millionth vehicle in India. In July 2014 it had a market share of more than 45%. In May 2015, the company produced its fifteen millionth vehicle in India, a Swift Dzire.

On 25 April 2019, Maruti Suzuki announced that it would phase out production of diesel cars by 1 April 2020, when the Bharat Stage VI emission standards come into effect. The new standards would require a significant investment from the company to upgrade its existing diesel engines to comply with the more stringent emission standards. Chairman R.C. Bhargava stated, "We have taken this decision so that in 2022 we are able to meet the corporate average fuel efficiency (CAFE) norms and a higher share of CNG vehicles will help us comply with the norms. I hope the union government's policies will help grow the market for CNG vehicles." Diesel cars accounted for about 23 percent of Maruti Suzuki's annual sales.

The company planned to launch its first electric car in the second half of 2021, the Maruti Suzuki Wagon R Electric, before cancelling its plan.

Manufacturing facilities
Maruti Suzuki has two manufacturing facilities in Haryana (Gurugram and Manesar), and one manufacturing complex in Gujarat wholly owned by parent company Suzuki which supplies its entire production to Maruti Suzuki. All manufacturing facilities have a combined production capacity of 2,250,000 vehicles annually (1.5 million from Maruti Suzuki's two plants and 750,000 from Suzuki Motor Gujarat).

The Gurugram manufacturing facility has three fully integrated manufacturing plants and is spread over 300 acre. The Gurgaon facilities also manufacture 240,000 K-Series engines annually. The Gurugram facility manufactures the Alto 800, WagonR, Ertiga, XL6, S-Cross, Vitara Brezza, Ignis, and Eeco. The Gurugram facility also assembles the Jimny starting from January 2021 solely for export markets. It was reported the Indian-assembled Jimny will be exported to African markets and countries in the Middle East.

The Manesar manufacturing plant was inaugurated in February 2007 and is spread over 600 acre. Initially, it had a production capacity of 100,000 vehicles annually but this was increased to 300,000 vehicles annually in October 2008. The production capacity was further increased by 250,000 vehicles taking the total production capacity to 800,000 vehicles annually. The Manesar plant produces the Alto, Swift, Ciaz, Baleno and Celerio. On 25 June 2012, Haryana State Industries and Infrastructure Development Corporation demanded Maruti Suzuki pay an additional ₹235 crore for enhanced land acquisition for its Haryana plant expansion. The agency reminded Maruti that failure to pay the amount would lead to further proceedings and vacating the enhanced land acquisition.

In 2012, the company decided to merge Suzuki Powertrain India Limited (SPIL) with itself. SPIL was started as a JV by Suzuki Motor Corp. along with Maruti Suzuki. It has the facilities available for manufacturing diesel engines and transmissions. The demand for transmissions for all Maruti Suzuki cars is met by the production from SPIL.

In 2017, the new Suzuki Motor Gujarat facility was opened. This third facility is not owned by Maruti Suzuki, but instead wholly owned by Suzuki Motor Corporation. Despite that, the plant supplied vehicles to Maruti without any additional cost. Located in Hansalpur, Ahmedabad, the plant has a total annual capacity of 750,000 units.

In November 2021 Maruti Suzuki announce to set up of a big plant in IMT Kharkhoda in Sonipat district across 900 acres with an investment of ₹18,000 crores.

Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation gives 900 acres of land to Maruti Suzuki for setting up a new plant in Industrial Model Township at Kharkhoda, Haryana.

In August 2022 Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi virtually laid the foundation stone of Maruti Suzuki's new manufacturing plant in Kharkhoda. It will be one of the largest automobile manufacturing plant in the world with the capacity of making a million cars per year.

The Maruti Suzuki's Gurugram manufacturing facility will shift to new manufacturing facility in Kharkhoda, Haryana will have four manufacturing plants in which a million cars will be produced annually and the Kharkhoda, Haryana plant will be third largest car producing facility in world. Along with this, the carmaker will invest 35,000 crores into building second manufacturing plant close to their Gujarat plant in the state with a million cars capacity per annum. The operations will commence in 2028-29 taking the production capacity combined to 4.35 million units annually.

Industrial relations
Since its founding in 1983, Maruti Udyog Limited has experienced problems with its labour force. The Indian labour it hired readily accepted Japanese work culture and the modern manufacturing process. In 1997, there was a change in ownership, and Maruti became predominantly government controlled. Shortly thereafter, conflict between the United Front Government and Suzuki started. In 2000, a major industrial relations issue began and employees of Maruti went on an indefinite strike, demanding among other things, major revisions to their wages, incentives and pensions.

Employees used slowdown in October 2000, to press a revision to their incentive-linked pay. In parallel, after elections and a new central government led by NDA alliance, India pursued a disinvestment policy. Along with many other government owned companies, the new administration proposed to sell part of its stake in Maruti Suzuki in a public offering. The worker's union opposed this sell-off plan on the grounds that the company will lose a major business advantage of being subsidised by the Government, and the union has better protection while the company remains in control of the government.

The standoff between the union and the management continued through 2001. The management refused union demands citing increased competition and lower margins. The central government privatized Maruti in 2002 and Suzuki became the majority owner of Maruti Udyog Limited.

Manesar violence
On 18 July 2012, Maruti's Manesar plant was hit by violence. According to Maruti management, the production workers attacked supervisors and started a fire that killed company's General Manager of Human Resources Avineesh Dev and injured 100 other managers, including two Japanese expatriates. The workers also allegedly injured nine policemen. However Maruti Suzuki Workers Union (MSWU) President Sam Meher alleged that management ordered 300 hired security guards to attack the workforce during the violence. The incident is the worst-ever for Suzuki since the company began operations in India in 1983.

Since April 2012, the Manesar union had demanded a three-fold increase in basic salary, a monthly conveyance allowance of ₹10,000, a laundry allowance of ₹3,000, a gift with every new car launch, and a house for every worker who wants one, or cheaper home loans for those who want to build their own houses. According to the Maruti Suzuki Workers Union a supervisor had abused and made discriminatory comments to a low-caste worker, Jiya Lal. These claims were denied by the company and the police. Maruti said the unrest began, not over wage discussions, but after the workers' union demanded the reinstatement of Jiya Lal who had been suspended for allegedly beating a supervisor. The workers claim harsh working conditions and extensive hiring of low-paid contract workers which are paid about $126 a month, about half the minimum wage of permanent employees. On 27 June 2013, an international delegation from the International Commission for Labor Rights (ICLR) released a report alleging serious violations of the industrial right of workers by the Maruti Suzuki management. Company executives denied harsh conditions and claim they hired entry-level workers on contracts and made them permanent as they gained experience. Maruti employees currently earn allowances in addition to their base wage.

The police, in its First Information Report (FIR), claimed on 21 July that Manesar violence is the result of a planned violence by a section of workers and union leaders and arrested 91 people. Maruti Suzuki in its statement on the unrest, announced that all work at the Manesar plant has been suspended indefinitely. The shut down of Manesar plant is leading to a loss of about ₹75 crore per day. On 21 July 2012, citing safety concerns, the company announced a lockout under The Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 pending results of an inquiry the company has requested of the Haryana government into the causes of the disorder. Under the provisions of The Industrial Disputes Act for wages, the report claimed, employees are expected to be paid for the duration of the lockout. On 26 July 2012, Maruti announced employees would not be paid for the period of lock-out in accordance with Indian labour laws. The company further announced that it will stop using contract workers by March 2013. The report claimed the salary difference between contract workers and permanent workers has been much smaller than initial media reports – the contract worker at Maruti received about ₹11,500 per month, while a permanent worker received about ₹12,500 a month at start, which increased in three years to ₹21,000-₹22,000 per month. In a separate report, a contractor who was providing contract employees to Maruti claimed the company gave its contract employees the best wage, allowances and benefits package in the region.

Shinzo Nakanishi, managing director and chief executive of Maruti Suzuki India, said this type of violence has never happened in Suzuki Motor Corp's global operations in Hungary, Indonesia, Spain, Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia, China and the Philippines. Nakanishi apologised to affected workers on behalf of the company, and in press interview requested the central and Haryana state governments to help stop further violence by legislating decisive rules to restore corporate confidence amid emergence of this new 'militant workforce' in Indian factories. He announced, "we are going to de-recognise Maruti Suzuki Workers' Union and dismiss all workers named in connection with the incident. We will not compromise at all in such instances of barbaric, unprovoked violence." He also announced Maruti plans to continue manufacturing in Manesar, that Gujarat was an expansion opportunity and not an alternative to Manesar.

The company dismissed 500 workers accused of causing the violence and re-opened the plant on 21 August, saying it would produce 150 vehicles on the first day, less than 10% of its capacity. Analysts said that the shutdown was costing the company 1 billion rupees ($18 million) a day and costing the company market share. In July 2013, the workers went on hunger strike to protest the continuing jailing of their colleagues and launched an online campaign to support their demands.

A total of 148 workers were charged with the murder of Human Resources Manager Avineesh Dev. The court dismissed charges against 117 of the workers. On 17 March 2017, 31 workers were found guilty of variety of offences. 18 were convicted on charges of rioting, trespassing, causing hurt and other related offences under Indian Penal Code sections. The remaining 13 workers were sentenced to life in imprisonment after being found guilty of the murder of General Manager of Human Resources Avineesh Dev. Twelve of the thirteen sentenced were office-bearers of the Maruti Suzuki Workers Union at the time of the alleged offences. The prosecution had sought the death penalty for the thirteen.

Both prosecution and defence have announced they will appeal against the sentences. Defence counsel Vrinda Grover stated, "We will file appeals against all convictions in the HC. The evidence, as it stands, cannot withstand legal scrutiny. There is no evidence to link these workers to the murder. The 13 who have been convicted, it’s important to remember that they were the leaders of the union. Therefore, it is clear that this is targeted framing of these persons. We hope for justice in the superior court".

The Maruti Suzuki Workers Union is continuing to organise industrial action and protests calling for the workers to be released and criticising the judgement and sentences an unjust. An international appeal for the release of the workers has been made by the International Committee for the Fourth International (ICFI) and other organisations such as the People's Alliance for Democracy and Secularism.

Automotive safety
Maruti Suzuki has been criticized for compromising safety in their products by automotive enthusiasts, journalists, and the Global NCAP, as they are made lighter in terms of kerb weight to achieving higher fuel economy. Starting January 2014, several of their made for India cars were crash tested at Global NCAP, most of which have given disappointing results. Cars like Alto, Swift, Celerio, S-Presso (with driver's airbag), and Eeco which had no safety features like airbags were awarded 0 stars, while Wagon-R and Swift (2018 model year) which had dual front airbags were awarded 2 stars out of 5. Only the Vitara, Brezza (4 stars) and Ertiga (3 stars) have been awarded decent safety ratings. Though Maruti Suzuki claimed that they were following the safety standards mandated by the Government of India, it however only implied with the safety features included in their cars and not the strong body shell or build quality which suffers the impact of the crash. Maruti Suzuki has also come under fire for discrimination with customers in India, by making cars safe meant for exports to European and African markets.

The chairman, RC Bhargava stated that "If carmakers incorporate such features in even entry-level cars, obviously the price would go up, which would lead consumers to opt for two-wheelers, which would be more unsafe", which attracted criticism. The company, in February 2020, decided not to send their cars to Global NCAP for testing, as they only believe in the Safety Standards set by the Government of India. Following the crash test results of S-Presso, Alejandro Furas, Secretary General of Global NCAP said, “It is very disappointing that Maruti Suzuki, the manufacturer with the largest share of the Indian market, offers such low safety performance for Indian consumers. Domestic manufacturers like Mahindra and Tata have demonstrated high levels of safety and protection for their customers, both achieving five star performance. Surely it’s time for Maruti Suzuki to demonstrate this commitment to safety for its customers?” Alongside, David Ward, President of the Towards Zero Foundation said, "We have seen important progress on car safety in India, with new legislation introduced by the government and manufacturers like Mahindra and Tata accepting the Global NCAP five star challenge and producing models which go well beyond minimum regulatory requirements. There is no place for zero rated cars in the Indian market. It remains a great disappointment that an important manufacturer like Maruti Suzuki does not recognize this."

For FY 2022 and 2023, Global NCAP crash tested the Swift, S-Presso, Ignis, and Wagon-R, each of which received 1-star rating, while the Alto K10 received 2-star rating. While these cars came with basic safety features such as ABS and Dual Front Airbags, as mandated by the Government of India, the body structure was rated unstable with inability to withstand further loads. Maruti Suzuki has faced ire by auto enthusiasts and media for prioritizing sales over safety by pricing the unsafe cars much lower than competitors.

Anti-competitive dealer policies
In Aug 2021, Maruti Suzuki was fined ₹200 Crore (US$28.57 million) by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for implementing its Discount Control Policy that restrains dealers from offering customer discounts beyond those prescribed by the carmaker.

Sales and service network
Maruti Suzuki has 2,413 Arena sales outlets across 1,992 cities and 380 Nexa sales outlets across 228 cities in India. The company aims to increase its sales network to 4,000 outlets by 2020. It has 4044 service stations across 1,861 cities throughout India. Maruti's dealership network is larger than that of enough known companies combined. Service is a major revenue generator of the company. Most of the service stations are managed on franchise basis, where Maruti Suzuki trains the local staff. Also, The Express Service stations exist, sending across their repairman to the vehicle if it is away from a normal service center.

Nexa
In 2015, Maruti Suzuki launched Nexa, a new dealership network for its premium cars which stands for New Exclusive Automotive Experience.

Maruti Suzuki currently sells Fronx, Baleno, Grand Vitara, XL6, Ciaz, Ignis and Jimny through Nexa outlets. S-Cross was the first car to be sold through Nexa outlets. The company recently achieved a milestone of selling 1.5 million cars from over 350 dealerships across the country and is the third largest automobile retail channel of India.

Maruti Insurance
Launched in 2002 Maruti Suzuki provides vehicle insurance to its customers with the help of the National Insurance Company, Bajaj Allianz, New India Assurance and Royal Sundaram. The service was set up the company with the inception of two subsidiaries Maruti Insurance Distributors Services Pvt. Ltd and Maruti Insurance Brokers Pvt. Limited.

This service started as a benefit or value addition to customers and was able to ramp up easily. By December 2005 they were able to sell more than two million insurance policies since its inception.

Maruti Finance
To promote its bottom line growth, Maruti Suzuki launched Maruti Finance in January 2002. Prior to the start of this service Maruti Suzuki had started two joint ventures Citicorp Maruti and Maruti Countrywide with Citi Group and GE Countrywide respectively to assist its client in securing loan. Maruti Suzuki tied up with ABN Amro Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Limited, Kotak Mahindra, Standard Chartered Bank, and Sundaram to start this venture including its strategic partners in car finance. Again the company entered into a strategic partnership with SBI in March 2003 Since March 2003, Maruti has sold over 12,000 vehicles through SBI-Maruti Finance. SBI-Maruti Finance is currently available in 166 cities across India.

Citicorp Maruti Finance Limited is a joint venture between Citicorp Finance India and Maruti Udyog Limited its primary business stated by the company is "hire-purchase financing of Maruti Suzuki vehicles". Citi Finance India Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Citibank Overseas Investment Corporation, Delaware, which in turn is a 100% wholly owned subsidiary of Citibank N.A. Citi Finance India Limited holds 74% of the stake and Maruti Suzuki holds the remaining 26%. GE Capital, HDFC and Maruti Suzuki came together in 1995 to form Maruti Countrywide. Maruti claims that its finance program offers most competitive interest rates to its customers, which are lower by 0.25% to 0.5% from the market rates.

Maruti TrueValue
Maruti True service offered by Maruti Suzuki to its customers. It is a marketplace for used Maruti Suzuki Vehicles. One can buy, sell or exchange used Maruti or non-Maruti vehicles with the help of this service in India. As of 10 August 2017 there are 1,190 outlets across 936 cities.

N2N Fleet Management
N2N is the short form of End to End Fleet Management and provides lease and fleet management to corporates. Clients who have signed up of this service include Gas Authority of India Ltd, DuPont, Reckitt Benckiser, Doordarshan, Singer India, National Stock Exchange of India and Transworld. This fleet management service include Leasing, Maintenance, Convenience services and Remarketing.

Maruti Accessories
Many of the auto component companies, other than Maruti Suzuki, started to offer compatible components and accessories. This caused a serious threat and loss of revenue to Maruti Suzuki. Maruti Suzuki started a new initiative under the brand name Maruti Genuine Accessories to offer accessories like alloy wheels, body cover, carpets, door visors, fog lamps, stereo systems, seat covers and other car care products. These products are sold through dealer outlets and authorized service stations throughout India.

Maruti Suzuki Driving School
As part of its corporate social responsibility Maruti Suzuki launched the Maruti Driving School in Delhi. Later the services were extended to other cities of India as well. These schools are modelled on international standards, where learners go through classroom and practical sessions. Many international practices like road behaviour and attitudes are also taught in these schools. Before driving actual vehicles participants are trained on simulators.

At the launch ceremony for the school Jagdish Khattar stated "We are very concerned about mounting deaths on Indian roads. These can be brought down if government, industry and the voluntary sector work together in an integrated manner. But we felt that Maruti should first do something in this regard and hence this initiative of Maruti Driving Schools."

Awards and recognition
The Brand Trust Report published by Trust Research Advisory, a brand analytics company, has ranked Maruti Suzuki in the thirty seventh position in 2013 and ninth position in 2019 among the most trusted brands of India.

title: Maruti Suzuki


text:
Talk:Nattō

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 20 August 2019 and 15 December 2019. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Chriszhouzzl97. Peer reviewers: Joshjensen308, MellowSandwich.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 04:59, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

Amanatto isn't natto!
"A dried form of nattō, having little odor or sliminess, may be eaten as a nutritious snack." I have never come across an actual natto being dried up and eaten as a snack. However, there is such a thing called amanatto 甘納豆, which is entirely a different creature, basically a sugared adzuki bean confection. This was thought to have been originally called ama-na-na-to 甘名納糖, with the "to" being sugar/candy, not bean.

Amythewillowprincess (talk) 21:24, 4 March 2013 (UTC)

This is like the Asian Carp/Koi issue
Why do we have a separate section for Natto. East asians have all been fermenting soybeans foreever and it looks like the Chinese and Koreans have been doing it for longer than Japan. Douchi, Meju, Doenjang, cheonggukjang, Kinema, and Tempeh This whole article should be a subsection of Chinese fermented soybeans. This is about as dumb and the Koi section in Wiki. Koi is Asian Carp, genetically bred first by the Chinese, then the Koreans had it, then later it got passed onto Japan. Why do we have a section like Koi. Koi should be a sub-section of Asian Carp stating the Japanese call Asian carp Koi. Nationalism is dumb, combine these fermented soybean articles. This is ridiculous, are we going to have a section for each country? The Vietnamese call Asian Carp blank or the Vietmanese call fermented soybeans blank and have an article for each country. That is dumb. Make these a subsection of fermented soybean with all the countries as a subsection and put the Koi article under Asian Carp like it should be.--4.23.83.100 (talk) 02:30, 15 August 2012 (UTC)

Carp is fish. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.147.122.158 (talk) 17:05, 18 April 2014 (UTC)

Comment 1
If Natto was "invented" in the Jomon era, why would it have a name made from Chinese loan elements rather than a yamatokotoba name? (User:202.231.176.242)

 * There is a type of food made from fermented and dried beans in Southern China which is writted down in similar characters. So, it's likely that the name was taken from that. I think ancient Japanese simply thought it was cool to use a Chinese sounding name. Revth 15:27, 24 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * There are two views about the origin of natto.The jomon origin view is major. But this has almost little evidence.Another view suggests invention in 11 century.Also I think it was invented in Kansai area in early 11 century.Nabimaru-jp 10:14, 24 February 2007 (UTC)

Comment 2
I just wanted to thank the person who picked the picture, it captures perfectly in a single still frame the essence of natto-ness (viz. horrible, mind-bending discomfort and nausea).

 * I like the photo too, and seeing as we're being all POV here, I'd just like to say looking at it reminds me of natto's nuanced, wonderfully textured and delicious flavor. Oska 03:45, Dec 24, 2004 (UTC)

 * Yup. Made me hungry. Stargoat 09:38, 24 Dec 2004 (UTC)

 * I am not a Japanese. Nor am I influenced by them. I just found myself able to eat natto without rice. God, I have no smell. :( -- Toytoy 23:14, Mar 15, 2005 (UTC)

 * I am a Japanese but I just couldn't stand eating natto on its own. Give me a bowl of rice! :) -- Revth 15:27, 24 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * I am not a Japanese (I'm German) but my Japanese ex-girlfriend introduced me to natto. I'm not turned off by its smell, but I find it a lot more palatable if I add lots of soy sauce to it :D --Eniac turing 17:55, 23 November 2006 (UTC)

 * The picture seems to be missing now. El Mariachi 23:47, 14 November 2006 (UTC)

I ate tons of Natto in japan since it was cheap and good. Kind of addictive after the third try. Yum. 207.228.52.221 (talk) 18:43, 1 September 2008 (UTC)Fran

Comment 3
Hello, being Swedish, I'm wondering about likening the smell of natto to that of lutfisk. This dish does not smell a lot, just like any other cooked fish. Surströmming(fermented herring) however has a rather pungent "aroma" which isn't very pleasing.

Then again i've never tried natto, but would very much like to. 213.112.50.67 08:54, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Having tried lutfisk and surströmming, I can say natto does not smell like either. Sinse (talk) 19:38, 2 August 2011 (UTC)

Smell
“akin to strong cheese and the pickled vegetable known as kimchi.”

I removed and the pickled vegetable known as kimchi. I've had kimchi with a strong smell but it was not near natto. KungFuMonkey 15:43, 12 October 2006 (UTC)

Natto doesn't smell like any cheese I've ever encountered (and certainly nothing like kimchi). It's more like a cross between dirty socks and a dead body. "Pungent" doesn't begin to describe it. --RabidDeity 04:28, 23 February 2007 (UTC)
 * You need to expand your consumption of cheese. O.o and I don't think your description of the smell quite describes it either. I have never had nattou that smelled like dirty socks or a dead body.  Of course my normal place to purchase it is at a local grocery store, and the brands I usually purchase are made realatively locally.  Maybe you are not getting it fresh. :P Ok, so fresh is a strange word when talking about nattou, but still.  I do have to agree though that the smell is NOTHING like kimchi.  I eat kimchi regularly as well.  :) It does smell like some strong cheeses though.  It is comparable to munster in some ways. Emry (talk) 11:07, 10 April 2009 (UTC)

I had some Natto at a Japanese restaurant some years back. Definitely fresh. The original poster might be a bit harsh about the smell but it does remind me a little carrion. Moreso, however, I would describe the smell/taste as burnt/recently manufactured rubber or something. Most unpleasant thing I had eaten in a long while but it got me in good with my wife's father. I guess he saw it as a test of manhood so he was incredibly impressed when I ate it all before he did. Hell, his own 2 sons wouldn't come near the stuff.99.137.192.155 (talk) 19:54, 9 May 2009 (UTC)

consumption of natto
another source (http://www.weekender.co.jp/LatestEdition/961004/coverstory.html)from 1996 claims 220,000 tons are consumed in Japan each year. That's more than four times as much as in this article! Kohnuma 21:49, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

According to the report issued on March 2006 by General Food Policy Bureau in Japan, the production of natto in 2005 was guessed to be 236,000 tons.(Reference: "The Current State of Tofu and natto", in Japanese.) Nabimaru-jp 08:52, 24 February 2007 (UTC)

Why Kansai doesn't like natto
In doing some research for the Kansai region article, I came across this source (http://www.jpf.org.au/06_newsletter/hitokuchi_3new.pdf) which puts forth the theory that natto is disliked in the Kansai due to its proportionately low number of horses as opposed to cattle. The theory goes that in areas which historically raised a high number of horses, soy was also grown commonly to provide grain. In cattle-raising regions, this was not so, and so the appreciation of soy-related products is not as high. It didn't seem worth putting in the Kansai article, but I think it might be a good addition to this one. -- Exitmoose 08:32, 22 January 2007 (UTC)

It is a very interesting theory. However, I do not think it is true. Food was always insufficient in Japan where the population density was high. The soybean was a valuable nourishment source, and the soybean fodder was never given to the horse. Cold weather was necessary for a traditional natto manufacturing. A suitable period for manufacturing natto is short in clement west Japan, and long in inclement east Japan. This might be a cause of a regional difference of natto.Nabimaru-jp 09:19, 24 February 2007 (UTC)

Which is also why their incidence of heart disease etc... is higher. There was a study that was done that compared life expectancy and incidence of disease between different regions of Japan and they found that where Natto was consumed daily before 8am or so, the incidence of embolisms and other ailments was severely cut and their life expectancy was higher. 75.142.234.137 (talk) 04:37, 5 June 2011 (UTC)

Natto
I remember vaguely from a TV program a long time ago that eating Natto can increase one's intelligence for some reason. Now, the show was cancelled a long time ago, so I don't have it. Can anyone verify that, or at least prove that such a claim exists? Arbiteroftruth 16:43, 22 January 2007 (UTC)

A genius boy probably named Mikel, Japanese American, liked natto very much. This might be the origin of the rumor.Nabimaru-jp 09:40, 24 February 2007 (UTC)

More "facts" from that TV program
No evidence, but I'm told (by a Japanese) that the program that lied about natto's weight loss advantage also said that natto "is very popular in England" which is patently untrue (I'm British). They must have been on a real pro-natto tip! 138.243.129.4 12:49, 31 January 2007 (UTC)

Controversy?
Should this section really be in the article? It's interesting, certainly, but it doesn't seem particularly relevant. The controversy surrounds the television show more so than natto itself. At the very least, the section ought to be renamed. Bloodbeard 21:23, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

 * Tend to agree - in the grand scheme of an encyclopledia article this amounts to little more than a triva titbit. The article is about natto, not a TV show's publicity stunt. ShizuokaSensei 23:27, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

 * Have taken it upon myself to remove said section, and also the following section which lists some TV shows which natto has appeared in. This is little more than trivia which adds nothing to the article. We can't possibly begin to list natto's TV appearances in an encyclopdia article. ShizuokaSensei 23:34, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

Use of beans other than soya
Does anyone know if any beans other than soya are also known to have been used for making natto (traditionnally or recently)? Thanks. Cheekychico —Preceding undated comment added 22:47, 16 March 2009 (UTC).
 * I cannot say anything for traditional uses, but I can tell you that in Japan at least, every brand of nattou that is carried in the stores I visit are all soy beans. There is a lot of soy in the Japanese diet. I also doubt that nattou made with anything else would taste anything like nattou.  It would have to be called something else.  Emry (talk) 11:13, 10 April 2009 (UTC)

A question about names
This is nit-picking, but is there a reason that Nattou redirects to Nattō, and not the other way around? Both are valid spellings, Nattō uses non-standard characters, and is really only the preffered spelling OUTSIDE of Japan. Ok, admitedly the accepte spellings in Japan are 納豆　and なっとう, so my accepted spelling argument doesn't mean a whole lot. :)  The non-standard character argument still stands. Emry (talk) 13:06, 1 April 2009 (UTC)

 * I agree about the mis-spelling. This is the English version of Wikipedia, and having non-standard diacritical marks in the title page is just plain incorrect. Some user's insistence on using them in certain loan words in order to look smart aside, we do not have diacritical character marks in English. This page needs to be changed to "Natto" 216.241.193.26 (talk) 15:39, 4 September 2023 (UTC)

Protecting the Article
I have noticed that there are a number of edits that are reverting vandalism by people who are not logged in. How do we go about having an article protected so that only registered users can edit them?

It is strange to me that a food related article has this kind of problems. :P Personally, I eat Nattou two to five times a week. I do not see why people should insist on making stuppid edits about it whiping out valid text in the process. :/ Emry (talk) 11:04, 10 April 2009 (UTC)

Ammoniacal smell?

 * The first thing noticed by the uninitiated after opening a pack of nattō is the very strong ammoniacal smell, akin to strong cheese.

If the natto is fresh it should not have a very strong ammoniacal smell. This seems to describe overripe natto. Dforest (talk) 07:49, 9 July 2009 (UTC)

 * Is "ammoniacal" even a word? I agree, though, natto really doesn't smell like ammonia.  Exploding Boy (talk) 15:40, 9 July 2009 (UTC)
 * If anything, it smells rather similar to certain cheeses that are known for not looking so different. The smell is a bit strong, but if you eat nattou, you get used to the smell pretty quick.  Emry (talk) 16:34, 18 July 2010 (UTC)

Dangers of Natto
While I agree with all that is written in this article, my Japanese professor told me, after he had suffered an minor heart attack that he was forbidden by his doctor from eating Natto. He claimed that while in healthy people, some guey consituent of natto entered the blood and cleared blood vessels, the same guey constituent of natto was dangerous to those who already had constricted blood vessels since it could block them. So, while natto may be good for those that are healthy, it may have negative effect upon those with congested blood vessels. I have no sources. But since if the above heresay is true then natto could kill, I mention it here.--Timtak (talk) 13:42, 28 July 2010 (UTC)
 * In an attempt to find some basis for the above claim I searched for natto and danger in japanese to find that some websites (again heresay) were claiming that natto is carcinogenic, at least if taken in extreme amounts by those on a "natto diet."--Timtak (talk) 13:56, 28 July 2010 (UTC)
 * It is Vitamin K2 in natto that binds calcium and helps blood clot. True, this is usually desired, but I've also read too much in the wrong person can make things worse: Vitamin_K 45.48.161.1 (talk) 23:24, 13 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Vitamin_K2 45.48.161.1 (talk) 23:30, 13 February 2023 (UTC)

Sounds like an old wife's tale considering that you would have to directly inject a substance into your blood in order for its consistency to actually affect your circulatory system.75.142.234.137 (talk) 04:39, 5 June 2011 (UTC)

Vitamin K (phylloquinone) content
The usda tells me that 100g natto contains 23µg Vitamin K. In the article here a value of 'approximately 870 micrograms' without source is stated.

A search in http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/list links to the detail page: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/4804

Well ... , clicking on 'Statistical report' one finds that this value is derived from another food (Miso) which value is also derived from ..., etc. one ends at '16108, Soybeans, mature seeds, raw'. The VitK difference between raw Soybeans and Natto seems just the difference between dry and soaked beans. So the change by bacterial fermentation may be ignored.

Anyone has more, better values? --Peter Büttner (talk) 14:12, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

Vitamin K2 in the slime, bean or both?
Natto is known for its menaquinone (not phylloquinone, K1). It seems logical that most or all of it is probably in the slime, rather than the beans. Anyone know? Encyclopedant (talk) 00:29, 27 November 2014 (UTC)

Packaging
Could someone add a description of the condiments it's typically packaged with? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 73.53.107.223 (talk) 03:00, 15 November 2015 (UTC)
 * I'd be happy to add the requested information if you can provide reliable sources. Thanks! Meatsgains (talk) 03:20, 15 November 2015 (UTC)
 * ✅ ―― Phoenix7777 (talk) 04:18, 15 November 2015 (UTC)

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I feel that a section about Natto's health implications is required
Both positive and negative - there is some research and numerous claims about the health effects of this food (two are mentioned in the talk - carcinogenic and weight-loss), and any fermented food deserves a word about probiotics and/or consumption risks. Please add this section. נוף כרמל (talk) 18:32, 20 September 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:Nattō