Efforts to reduce food waste are gaining momentum in Japan, with many companies extending expiration and best-before dates for processed foods, although small businesses have been notably slower to do so, a recent survey showed.
The survey, conducted by a Consumer Affairs Agency panel and targeting 585 food manufacturers, found that expiration or best-before dates had been extended for 43 percent of the 935 products covered.
But while large and medium-sized companies have actively adopted such measures, over half of small businesses had no plans to follow suit, citing difficulties such as maintaining consistent product quality and managing the associated costs, the survey said.
The government has set a goal of halving food waste by fiscal 2030 compared with fiscal 2000. Data for fiscal 2022, released this year, showed that the business sector has already met this target, although household waste remained short of the goal.
The survey, conducted online from July to August, defined small- to medium-sized companies as those with capital of up to 300 million yen or fewer than 300 employees, while small businesses were classified as those with fewer than 20 workers. Companies outside these categories were classified as big firms.
The survey covered 112 items with expiration dates and 823 with best-before dates. It showed respondents had no plan to extend these dates for 33 percent of the products, while indicating interest in doing so for 23 percent but citing challenges in maintaining quality and safety in different seasons and according to consumer handling, among other factors.
By company size, 53 percent of small businesses reported no plans to extend expiration dates, compared with 29 percent of small- to medium-sized firms and 15 percent of large companies.
© KYODO
8 Comments
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rainyday
This would suggest they've been knowingly having us throw out perfectly good food and drinks all this time with unrealistically short expiration time periods.
Burning Bush
I find that Costco food has quite short expiry dates, especially as foodstuffs are generally sold in bulk.
I hope they can work on this.
browny1
Food expiration and best before dates are extremely in the favour of the consumers.
The idea of "We want it Fresh and we want it Now" has seen it's use by date.
So much food here is safe and edible but picky customers just don't want to buy.
My local super and drugstore sees many customers reach to the back of refrigerated stored goods to get the "newest" product, when those in the front are still well within their best before dates. I always tsk, tsk them.
The industry has been too generous to customers for too long, and now a vigorous education program is required to tell folks that they are just adding to the "non-mottainai" attitude that is so prevalent.
Crazy waste.
Moonraker
I well remember times before there were no expiry dates on products. If you have a production date that should be enough. If the consumers can't work out when to use it by for themselves then they are mostly idiots.
Design Monkey
Great something else you cannot trust in Japan! Most people I know either shop every day for their food or maybe once a week.
I always look at the dates before buying.. @browny1 I always will look for the back to find a product that will last longer in my refrigerator or my shelf unless I’m going to consume it in the next few days. If you don’t, it’s just gonna expire in your fridge and you’re gonna throw it away instead of the grocery store.
Abe234
So the japanese have been lying to us. OMG! the companies have been scamming us.
Mark
It's the same in the U.S. People have known for years over there.
Design Monkey
Wow all the down votes! Apparently I’m the only smart shopper in the store. Go ahead buy and eat your expired overpriced food. I enjoy not getting food poisoning! To each their own!