IDEAS FOR GOOD“Mottainai” has become a globally acknowledged term. It connotes a “respect” for something that could have been utilized.
This “mottainai” concept forms the basis of actions to not waste any food in Japan, which supports today’s movement of reducing food loss. The “Fuku Gohan Project”, which began in Nihonbashi Hama-cho area in central Tokyo, is one example.
At Hama-cho, Chuo ward, the “Hama-cho Marche” is held 4 times every year at the entrance of office buildings. About 30 vendors from around Japan gather to provide ‘shopping, eating, playing and gathering’ experiences. Seasonal vegetables and fruits are sold, booths are set up and play space are available for children to play. This marche has been held 18 times till date, even becoming a familiar event in the region.
Although Hama-cho Marché is bustling with people, the event managers faced a dilemma.
“We ask sellers to bring plenty of food, but we are powerless to do anything for unsold food; that made us feel uneasy,” said Yu Mizushiro, an administration officer of Tokyo Good Manners Project Association. He connects producers and consumers in various regions. Mizushiro wants to keep a large selection of goods for people who would stop by at the marche. But on the other hand, he felt sorry about how many sellers were experiencing food unsold.
“Fuku Gohan Project” sprung from the desire to do something about these unsold food. There is a Japanese phrase meaning “There is happiness in what’s left behind”. The project adopts its name from that phrase. It aims to create a joy in buying leftovers from Hama-cho Marche, saying that there’s luck in doing so.
It’s not possible to predict what and how much will be left unsold, so many local enterprises and restaurants in the region approve of the idea. With their support, “Fuku Gohan Project” mainly works on three activities.
First, reselling the leftover food at offices of companies nearby as “Fuku Gohan Sale”. Second, serving “Fuku Gohan Meal”, which are dishes cooked with leftovers at restaurants nearby on the day after the marche. Third, and the most unique, establishing “Fuku Gohan Spa” acting as a fruit bath, using unsold fruit in collaboration with a long-established public bath “Sekaiyu”.
The floating fruits in the bath are ones left over after the marche. They also include citrus fruits such as amanatsu, lemons and oranges that didn’t meet the standards for sale. The refreshing scent and lovely appearance of 40 citrus fruits floating in the bath along assists relaxation. Vitamin C and citric acid from the organically grown fruits diffuse throughout the water, thus giving a beneficial effect on the skin. Furthermore, fruits not used for the bath are used to provide “after-bath drinks”.
Food waste tend to be regarded as problems of restaurants, but it’s not. Instead, it’s an issue that involves every consumer.
Can you spot the dark blotches and scratches on the surface of the fruits? They have no effect on the taste, however, these fruits are often not for sale or thrown away just because of their bad appearance. It is painful to imagine the suppliers’ feelings.
The blotches on the surface of the fruit appear because they are grown chemical-free or organic. We consumers must educate ourselves on what’s natural so we can make choices based on it. If consumers keep choosing “homogeneous, good-looking goods”, sellers cannot help but to discard produce that look unattractive. Each one of us need to be aware that food appearance is not an issue in order to change the consumption framework.
“Food loss” is in fact related to various factors. Therefore, there is no one correct answer for solving this problem. Each producer, enterprise and organization need to do what they can, and it is important for each consumer to have an opinion towards food loss.
Why not take this “Fuku Gohan Project” as an opportunity to think about what you can do right away? Start small, but sure, revolutions in daily life that will lead the way to solving the problem.
This article was originally published on IDEAS FOR GOOD.
Translated by Chisato Shizume.
