Making the Japanese food system more circular

Japan’s food system is highly dependent on imports and has a self-sufficiency ratio of just 38% on a caloric basis. On top of this, Japanese households on average throw away almost 40% of edible food. Shifting Japan’s food system to a more circular one would help make it more sustainable. But there are three areas in which Japan can make such changes: redesigning the food system, consumption, and planning for the reuse and return of resources.

Redesigning the Food System to Reduce Food Loss

Japan has long taken pride in the quality of what it makes, and that is true for agricultural products, too. This has made Japan particularly prone to wastage of fruit and vegetables even before they make it to stores. Farmers have traditionally rejected non-standard sizes and shapes of such products as “unsuitable” for market. Such waste is called “hidden food loss” because it is not included in food loss statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Although the lack of statistics makes this an issue that is typically overlooked by consumers, some companies and organizations are already offering solutions to help make use of that waste. One of those is the Up Food Project. It promotes the upcycling of food, which is the reuse of ingredients that otherwise would not have gone to human consumption. The Up Food Project bridges the gap between primary producers with non-standard fruit or vegetables and retailers and food service providers. It enables the use of residual produce in products both edible and non-edible, and the reuse of waste generated by the farming process.

Another initiative is the Purée Project. This is run by a construction company that provides not only the technological hardware to make purée from produce such as split grapes that cannot be sold on conventional markets, but also marketing assistance.

Reconsidering consumption patterns to reduce food waste

Economic growth and an increase in the number of women in the workforce have drastically changed the eating habits of the Japanese public over the years. More and more consumers tend to eat quick and convenient meals, and to dine out (MAFF). High demand has made the whole food service industry very competitive and has encouraged food retailers to purchase cheaper imported products to keep costs low. Competitiveness in serving various fresh foods and strict food standards have left food retailers with a large number of unsold products. Approximately 22% of products are wasted in the retail food industry, and 15% in the wholesale food industry.

Where does that food go? It is dumped. Although most food waste is wet waste, it is thrown away as burnable waste. This reduces the energy efficiency of incineration, which in turn increases energy use and carbon emissions. There are two solutions to this. One is to redistribute unused food to those in need through food banks such as Second Harvest Japan. The other is to not burn the waste, but to return it to the earth. (More on this approach later.)

How can we save food from becoming waste?

France offers an example of how to reduce food loss at the retail level. Their supermarkets are not allowed to dump unsold food and are required to give it away to those in need. In Japan, there is no specific law that requires food retailers to give away unsold food. However, the Japanese government states in the Act on Promotion of Food Loss and Waste Reduction that those who strive to launch a food donation system should receive the necessary support. Bolder legislation from Japan could help reduce food waste.

You can also take individual action. There are already a number of food-sharing apps that help match up consumers looking for food at reasonable prices with food retailers trying to prevent food from going to waste. You can find some of them here.

Designing products to include reuse of resources

The first step in any management of waste should be to reduce the amount of waste that is being created. Zero Waste Japan is a certification body that helps individuals and corporations reduce waste by producing products that won’t be wasted, incinerated, or landfilled. The certification process also helps candidates gauge how much and what kind of waste they currently create via production.

After minimizing how much waste is created, the next step is to revise how waste is treated. Currently, most food waste is incinerated. However, there are some municipalities and organizations in Japan that are striving to have the composting and recycling of food waste take root among the public.

There are different ways to return food waste to the earth. The simplest way is to dig a 20-cm deep hole in the ground, throw the food waste into it and cover it with soil. It will decompose naturally within a week in summer, or two weeks in winter. But if this method is not suitable for your lifestyle, there are other options such as installing a composter or electric food waste decomposer.

If your local municipality has a community collecting system, it is a good idea to participate in that as well. Oki Town in Fukuoka Prefecture has managed to reduce burnable waste by 40% by using a community wet-waste collection system. If your municipality does not have such a system, maybe you can suggest it to your local food waste management body.

Food can be saved from wastage through upcycling, food sharing, or returning it to the earth. Which actions can you take to make the Japanese food system more circular? With which actions can you make the most impact?