Survey: 74% of Japanese concerned about the food waste crisis

Culture Convenience Club Co. Ltd, which operates the nationwide bookstore chain Tsutaya, conducted a survey on January 28 and 29 in a bid to measure SDGs awareness, which involved 1,504 participants between 18 and 69 years old.

80% of participants answered that they’re interested in environmental issues and taking relevant action. Participants were also asked to pick keywords that they felt are related to such issues. 74.3% chose food waste, 62.0% chose plastic waste and 18.2% chose sustainability.

The Japanese government estimates that 27.59 million tons of food are thrown out every year. Food waste, which is defined as food intended for consumption that is left unconsumed, accounted for 6.43 million tons of waste in 2016. To address this problem, the government implemented the Act on Promoting Food Loss and Waste Reduction in 2019 to accelerate measures against food waste, targeting local government, food manufacturers and consumers.

Another question in the survey was related to reusable items that participants usually have on them, and 75.7% answered shopping bags, 47.3 % answered water bottles and 32.3% answered lunch boxes. 94.9% of women in their fifties and sixties carry shopping bags, and 60.9% said they carry water bottles too. 48.5% of women in their teens and twenties said they carry lunch boxes. In contrast, 28.5% of men in their teens and twenties answered that they usually don’t carry any reusable items.

Responding to another question, “What do you usually do to help protect the environment?”, 70.3% answered saving water, 69.6% answered avoiding food waste and 66.7% answered saving electricity. The survey revealed the generally relatively low commitment of men in their teens and twenties to environmental issues; however, 68.5% said they try to avoid food waste.

While the survey results showed strong food waste interests and concerns among Japanese citizens, companies are also working to bring an end to the problem. For instance, the startup DATAFLUCT uses an AI-powered data service for precise demand prediction. Catering company Crazy Kitchen delivers dishes focusing on minimal food waste and sustainable food supply. Moreover, Shibuya City Office has started a certification program that encourages restaurants to reduce food waste. Given these pushes from local governments and businesses, it is likely that more eco-friendly projects will be introduced.

Simultaneously, we can expect companies to initiate projects targeted towards young men, based on the survey results. The combination of these pushes from local government and businesses, coupled with consumers’ collective efforts, will bring Japan a step closer to ending this food waste crisis.