Developed by high school students in Fukui Prefecture, the Space Mackerel Can that was certified as a space food by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in 2018 has been made commercially available. Wakasa region is one of the best finishing grounds of mackerels since ancient times and the historical Wakasa Kaido, which was used primarily for transporting mackerels that came to be known as the Saba Kaido (“Mackerel Road”), is a designated Japan heritage.
The development of canned mackerel for consumption in space by students initiated in 2006 with participation of more than 300 students in total. The fish has been strongly flavored because the taste is dramatically dulled when eaten in outer space while kudzu starch is used to make the seasoning sticky to prevent it from floating in the air in a zero-gravity environment.
As a project to offer the taste of the canned mackerel for astronauts in orbit above the Earth to the general public, students at Wakasa High School teamed up with Fukui Bussan and local canning manufacturer to develop this commercial version over the course of a year in cooperation. Because mechanization is essential for mass production, the viscosity of the seasoning fluid was improved by adjusting the amount of kudzu starch based on the JAXA-approved recipe to allow it to be injected automatically. Students and teachers take the initiative from the designing, pricing, taste and sales, and a portion of the proceeds is returned to the high school.