# Miso: Commercial Product History

Canonical: https://thefoodthatshapedus.com/food-evolution/miso
Market: United States
Coverage: 3 product families; 13 confirmed observations; 1979 to 2026-08-29.

## Historical identity
Miso developed from East Asian soybean ferments and became a daily Japanese staple through koji craft, temple kitchens, and later industrial tubs. The Miso history article explains that longer umami story; this guide compares current U.S. pastes.

## Current product snapshot
- Miso Master Organic Traditional Red Miso: Unpasteurized aka miso; 16 oz tub; aged about one year according to the maker; observed price $14.73 for 16 oz; observed 2026-08-29.
- Miso Master Organic Mellow White Miso: Unpasteurized shiro miso; 16 oz tub; fermented about 30 days according to the maker; observed price $12.64 for 16 oz; observed 2026-08-29.
- Hikari Miso Organic White Miso: Shinshu-style organic white miso; 13.2 oz / 375 g refrigerated tub for the price observation; observed price $8.99 for 13.2 oz / 375 g; observed 2026-08-29.

## Confirmed timeline
- 1979: American Miso Company began producing miso in North America. Great Eastern Sun dates the founding of American Miso Company to 1979 and its first commercial miso production to the same period.
- 2026-08-29: Current U.S. product observations compiled from the linked product and seller evidence.

## Method and limits
No missing year is treated as evidence that a price, package, formula, owner, origin claim, or availability stayed unchanged. External source material remains with its rights holder; this record publishes source metadata, links, and checksums.

## Sources
- Great Eastern Sun. Our History. https://great-eastern-sun.com/blogs/about/our-history (1979; captured 2026-08-29).
- H Mart. Hikari Organic White Miso 13.2 oz retailer listing. https://www.hmart.com/organic-white-miso-13-2-oz--375-g--1/p (2026; captured 2026-08-29).
- Hikari Miso. Organic White Miso 17.6 oz product record. https://hikarimiso.com/products/organic-miso-white/ (2026; captured 2026-08-29).
- Miso Master / Great Eastern Sun. Organic Mellow White Miso. https://great-eastern-sun.com/products/white-miso-paste (2026; captured 2026-08-29).
- Miso Master / Great Eastern Sun. Organic Traditional Red Miso. https://great-eastern-sun.com/products/miso-master-organic-traditional-red-miso (2026; captured 2026-08-29).

Public JSON: https://thefoodthatshapedus.com/food-evolution/miso/data.json
Public CSV: https://thefoodthatshapedus.com/food-evolution/miso/data.csv
Buying guide: https://thefoodthatshapedus.com/buying-guides/miso
Full food history: https://thefoodthatshapedus.com/food/miso