Zenbird Editorial TeamFood-sharing application TABETE is now being trialed at six FamilyMart convenience stores in Tokyo, as it looks to expand its service to new customers with near-expiry food items.
The system allows FamilyMart store staff to list surplus food on the TABETE application. Users then select their desired items, complete the payment online, and collect the food directly from the designated store. The trial encompasses major commercial and office locations in Tokyo, including branches at Blue Front Shibaura S Building, Toyosu Bayside Cross, Tokyo Garden Terrace, Hareza Ikebukuro, Shinjuku Mitsui Building, and Ebisu Garden Place.
Through this initial rollout, both companies plan to verify the reproducibility of the waste reduction effects and optimise store operations for potential future expansion.
Kazuma Kawagoe, Representative Director of CoCooking, which operates TABETE, stated that integrating food rescue into convenience stores transforms waste reduction into a normal daily choice for consumers. Hiroyuki Osawa, General Manager of the Sustainability Promotion Department at FamilyMart, noted that the partnership with TABETE provides a digital avenue for more customers to participate proactively in waste reduction.
Japan faces significant challenges with commercial food waste, particularly in the convenience store sector where inventory turnover is rapid and predictable stocking is heavily prioritised. Should the Tokyo trial demonstrates smooth integration with minimal staff disruption, a wider rollout could shift towards a new norm for Japan’s convenience store culture.
[Reference] PR Times (Japanese)
