The concept of “food factors” originated from our initiative in naming non-nutrient components—particularly phytochemicals with cancer-preventive properties—as “Food Factors.” In 1995, we hosted the inaugural International Conference on Food Factors (focused on cancer prevention and phytochemicals) in Hamamatsu, which drew an unexpectedly large audience of over 1000 participants. Since then, this concept has been internationally recognized and the conference’s scope has expanded beyond cancer prevention to include general health promotion (Huang et al., Food Phytochemicals for Cancer Prevention I and II. ACS, Washington, 1994). The 9th International Conference on Food Factors is scheduled for 2026 under the presidency of Professor Kaeko Murota of Shimane University. My personal encounter with the concept of “Food Factors” dates back to 1989, during a year-long tenure as a visiting professor at the University of California, Davis, Department of Environmental Toxicology. During that time, I was invited to participate in numerous “Designer Foods Symposia” held in San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles (Shibamoto et al., Functional Foods for Disease Prevention I and II. American Chemical Society, Washington, 1998). The excellence of the traditional Japanese diet was frequently highlighted, and numerous requests were made for Japan to host a future symposium. Against this backdrop, we coined the term “Food Factors” for phytochemicals possessing diverse functional benefits, especially for cancer prevention. This led to the advancement of international collaborative research focused on elucidating the mechanisms of their functionality. Among these, our research has concentrated on oxidative stress biomarkers and the development of antioxidant food factors. In this article, I will discuss their current status and future prospects.