VOL.208 OCTOBER 2025
KAWAII CULTURE FROM JAPAN [POLICY RELATED NEWS I] Saving Precious Food from Going to Waste: Japan’s Initiatives to Reduce Food Loss and Waste

Photo: Consumer Affairs Agency

Food Loss and Waste refers to the discarding of food that is still edible, most often in the form of non-standard produce deemed unsuitable for store shelves, unsold products, and leftovers. Considering the environmental burden caused by incinerating Wasted Food and the fact that food is a limited resource, reducing Food Loss and Waste is a crucial challenge we must tackle. This article presents Japan’s initiatives to reduce Food Loss and Waste.

Current status of Food Loss and Waste and promotion of reduction efforts

Food Loss and Waste is classified into business-related, generated by the food service industry, retail businesses, etc., and household-related, resulting from over-preparation and uneaten leftovers in ordinary households. According to the FY2023 Estimates announced in June 2025 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Ministry of the Environment, the estimated total amount of Food Loss and Waste in Japan was approximately 4.64 million tons (2.31 million tons from businesses and 2.33 million tons from households). This corresponds to roughly 37 kilograms per capita per year, or the equivalent of throwing away one rice ball (approximately 102 grams) each day. Moreover, given that the amount of food assistance by WFP (World Food Programme) provided to people suffering from hunger worldwide is 3.7 million tons (as of 2023), it is extremely regrettable that approximately 1.3 times more food is being discarded in Japan. Considering that even in Japan there are people who do not have enough to eat due to poverty, it is imperative to use food ingredients efficiently and with care, and to work to reduce Food Loss and Waste. Furthermore, incinerating Wasted Food generates CO₂, which negatively impacts the environment. Against this backdrop, the Act on Promotion of Food Loss and Waste Reduction came into effect in October 2019, and the Japanese government, working in a unified manner and in collaboration with national authorities and local governments as well as businesses, is promoting Food Loss and Waste reduction efforts. These efforts align with the SDG targets set by the Japanese government to reduce Food Loss and Waste from businesses by 60% and from households by 50% by FY2030, compared to FY2000 levels. Furthermore, under the Act, every October is designated as the Promotion Month for Reducing Food Loss and Waste, with October 30 observed annually as Food Loss and Waste Reduction Day.

Breakdown of Food Loss and Waste (FLW) in Japan

Initiatives during the October Promotion Month for Reducing Food Loss and Waste

Led by the Consumer Affairs Agency, various relevant ministries and agencies collaborate with businesses, schools, organizations, and local governments to make Food Loss and Waste reduction a national movement. To this end, the agency is enhancing initiatives by raising awareness through posters, flyers, and brochures, as well as disseminating information via its official website and social media.

Further, every year on October 30, the agency holds a National Convention on Reducing Food Loss and Waste in cooperation with the host local government and the National Deliciously ‘Tabekiri (no leftovers)’ Movement Committee¹ in order to raise awareness and foster momentum for Food Loss and Waste reduction. At one of the programs at the convention, a ceremony is held to award business and organizations etc. that have conducted outstanding initiatives.

In addition, the agency organizes the “Aim for Zero Food Loss!” Senryu Poetry Contest. By creating image posters based on award-winning entries, the initiative encourages consumers to change their behavior in order to reduce Food Loss and Waste.

Image posters featuring award-winning entries from the “Aim for Zero Food Loss!” Senryu Poetry Contest
Photos: Consumer Affairs Agency

Through such initiatives, various actions for Food Loss and Waste reduction are gradually gaining awareness. These include providing practical tips and creative strategies to avoid wasting food at home and to shop efficiently, promoting proper understanding of best-by dates, practicing temae-dori² (selecting items from the front of the shelf), eating all the food up when dining out, or popularizing the mottECO³ initiative, which encourages taking home leftovers from restaurants.

With regard to initiatives to encourage diners to finish their meals, on-site restaurants at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan (running until October 13) are using stickers and POP displays to raise awareness among visitors.

Furthermore, over the past few years, food drive initiatives⁴ have gained momentum at retail stores, local governments, schools, and other entities, as a way to efficiently utilize unused surplus food in households. Food donation activities are also advancing from the perspective of reducing Food Loss and Waste.

Driven by the recognition that small, mindful actions by individuals can help reduce Food Loss and Waste, the Consumer Affairs Agency, in cooperation with relevant ministries, agencies, and other implementing entities, will continue to carry out awareness-raising initiatives for Food Loss and Waste reduction.

For more information on Food Loss and Waste reduction initiatives, visit the Consumer Affairs Agency’s website “Consumer Education.”

• 1. A network of local governments that endorse and actively promote the ‘Tabekiri (no leftovers)’ movement to encourage eating appropriate portions and finishing all food without leaving leftovers.
• 2. The practice of proactively selecting products that are near their sell-by date, such as items placed at the front of the shelf, particularly when purchasing food to be consumed immediately. (Some Japanese take food items placed at the back of the shelf. Such action causes Food Loss and Waste as the front items are unsold.)
• 3. A user-friendly name for the practice of taking leftovers home that was coined to promote Food Loss and Waste reduction at restaurants.
• 4. Initiatives in which household surplus food is brought to schools or workplaces and collected for bulk donation to local social organizations, facilities, food banks, or other entities.