Aeon reduces food loss with new upcycled snacks this month

Retail operator Aeon Co., Ltd. will soon launch two upcycled food products made from underutilised seafood processing residues sourced from the Tohoku region. They will release it as part of their “Mottainai wo Oishiku!” (Turning Waste into Deliciousness) series, and the limited-quantity items will roll out from 30 September across approximately 860 stores nationwide, including Aeon and Aeon Style malls.

The first addition to the series is “TOPVALU Mekabu no Amakara Kinpira”. The product utilises motokuki, the tough central core stem of Mekabu seaweed harvested in the Sanriku region. Specialised softening techniques are applied, and the stems are cut into manageable pieces. This way, it retains the natural crunch while converting the ingredient into a sweet and savoury dish. The second item is “TOPVALU Aomori Salmon Skin Chips”, produced using leftover skins from branded farmed salmon in Aomori Prefecture, with the skins baked crisp and seasoned with Ako salt.

Both ingredients are secondary processing materials that are typically discarded following harvest due to textural stiffness or processing constraints. Aeon developed the Mottainai wo Oishiku! series in collaboration with contract food manufacturers to create viable processing methods for upcycling these materials into commercial products.

While limited-quantity releases represent small physical volumes initially, good sales could find a permanent space on the shelves for the new products.