From power generation to discounts, companies in Japan work to reduce food waste

Japan Times

29-07-2025

Restaurants, manufacturers and retailers in Japan are taking new measures to reduce food waste, including using leftovers to generate electricity.
Akindo Sushiro, which runs conveyor-belt sushi chain Sushiro, and five other major restaurant operators have launched a project to produce methane gas from leftovers and food scraps as fuel for power generation.
Under the project, JFE Engineering is in charge of power generation and distribution, while the electricity can be purchased for a low price by participating companies, also including Royal Holdings, which operates Royal Host restaurants, and Duskin, the operator of the Mister Donut stores.
Meiji established a directly managed store called Meiji the Sutenai ("Don't throw things away") Factory in the city of Saitama at the end of last year, selling dairy products such as yoghurt whose best-before dates are approaching.
"The name of the store reflects our desire to not throw away products that can still be eaten," an official of the food maker said.
In the retail and food industries, there is a business practice known as the "one-third rule." For example, if a product has a three-week period from the date of manufacture to its best-before date, it must be delivered to retailers within the first week.
It has been pointed out that this is a factor behind the rise in food waste as products that have passed the deadline are subject to disposal.
Meiji's directly managed store, however, sells products that have passed the delivery deadline at about 40% off the suggested retail prices. They remain on store shelves until the best-before date.
The store was scheduled to close in April this year, but it stayed open due to its popularity.
Lawson is focusing on frozen onigiri rice balls and bread, which can be sold for a long time. The best-before date of frozen onigiri is about one year and that of frozen bread is about 200 days, contributing to reductions in food waste. Lawson's operator has increased the number of its convenience stores handling them since July 15.
Also, in July last year, Lawson extended the expiration dates of some regular onigiri products by six hours thanks to comprehensive hygiene management.