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...
Ever come across an apple with a bruise or a cucumber overly bent in Japanese supermarkets? Chances are you will say, “no.” Japan is particularly strict when it comes to putting vegetables and fruits out in the market. Severe standard...
It’s not just humans that can choose to be healthy and sustainable. Dogs also have the option to lead different lifestyles through diet choices. PETOKOTO in Shinagawa, Tokyo, known for producing quality dog food, has developed Japan’s first dog food...
Did you know that food products within safe “consumed by” dates are being discarded? Food products have delivery dates—deadlines that indicate when they should be shipped to stores. When the products miss these delivery dates, the food...
Two food companies and a group of students have collaborated to develop a new product, Sustainable Shrimp Cracker, made from two kinds of food waste. The first source of food waste comes from the heads of sweet shrimp, leftover in the process of...
Food sustainability is a growing trend in the food and beverage industry. Hopping on the bandwagon is a new eatery, Mottainai Shokudo (shokudou meaning cafeteria). Located in the Shonan region of Kanagawa prefecture, it is a sustainable eatery, an...
ZENB Japan is tying up with Associate Professor Haruko Noguchi of Tokyo University of Agriculture and her students at the Agriculture Department of Agricultural Innovation for Sustainable Society to develop “ZENB Sandwich” that maximizes ingredient...
From the Edo to Meiji periods, merchants called Omi-shonin (Omi is a province currently known as Shiga) traveled parts of the main island of Japan by foot to sell merchandise such as kimono, fabric and linen. The philosophy of their business was...
‘Uminouchi’ is a new platform built by two Japanese businesses based in Fukuoka prefecture, Benners and Panorama. Benners has built platforms to connect buyers and sellers for selling marine products since its founding. Iguchi, the president of...
The coronavirus pandemic is causing some organizations to face problems of excess food due to the sudden demand drop. Therefore, food waste is becoming a major concern. A Japanese company is helping reduce food waste caused by the spread of the...