Innovative ways firms are reducing food waste in Japan

The world has been working on the goal of reducing food waste and loss at least since the halving of it was set as a target in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. In line with this, Japan aims to halve its food waste by 2030 and various innovative ideas from companies from the production stage through to household consumption are moving it toward that goal.

A representative figure that helps illustrate food waste in Japan is that for 2017, when the annual amount of still-edible food that was discarded was about 6.12 million tons, equivalent to each person throwing away one bowl of rice every day. More recent figures show that food waste from businesses and households here fell to a total of 5.23 million tons in 2021. Japan still has a way to go to achieve its target of 4.89 million tons by 2023, and the following three companies are helping it get there.

Loss-Zero

Loss-Zero is an online platform that sells to consumers food that is still good to eat but that risks becoming loss because it has lost its place in the retail distribution network. This may be due to a change in price or packaging, because the products were made for a specific event, due to a close expiration date or Japan’s strict commercial custom, called the “one-third rule,” in which companies require food products to arrive at the retailer with two-thirds of the best-before period still remaining.

Loss-Zero also offers a subscription delivery service and upcycled products, such as chocolates made with unshapely strawberries that have been freeze-dried to lengthen their best-before date. The company is also seeking partners to make new upcycled products with.

Limiter

Almost half of the food loss that occurs in Japan happens in households. Limiter is a smartphone application (available on Google Play Store) that helps households reduce that loss, as well as the cost and time involved in managing food supplies at home.

Just by scanning the barcode of a product, its expiration date is entered into the app’s database so that it can be easily checked anytime. This means you know what’s in your fridge and it prevents you from making an unnecessary purchase. The app can also notify you when a product is about to expire.

The app has been downloaded more than 10,000 times.

Day Break

In efforts to reduce food waste ahead of the consumption stage, venture company Day Break is using its specialty freezing technology to lengthen the life of produce. As well as selling its specialty freezers to manufacturers, it makes its own frozen food products and runs a consulting service on specialty freezing.

According to its website, since the company was founded in 2013, its efforts have decreased the amount of food loss by 1,669.5 tons, which equates to a decline of 2,682.5 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. In 2022, Day Break was selected for the “Microsoft for Startups” program of support for start-up firms and received the food-service industry contribution award for its specialty Artlock Freezer.