What can be done to reduce the amount of food items that get discarded each day by convenience stores and supermarkets?

Wednesday 24th June, 02:00 AM JST

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Latest 15 of 27 Total Comments Show All

Patrick Smash at 01:20 PM JST - 24th June

How about edible sandwiches? That might sell...
yokomoc at 01:22 PM JST - 24th June

Altria, I worked at the Co-op supermarket in the UK when I was studying. They had a special section near the entrance specifically for products near their sell-by-date, which were sold at deep discounts.
boitoi at 01:43 PM JST - 24th June

they should check their record books, estimate, and sell only what is average on a given day.
Spanishwoman at 02:30 PM JST - 24th June

Some years ago I used to see in Marufuji supermarket lost of half-priced yoghourts every day. I was very happy about this because I always found this product incredibly expensive (and small) in Japan and I never wanted to pay the full price. But some months later, they started to cut off the amounts of yoghourts in the shelf. They realized they were wanting to sell more than the people were demanding. Now, unluckily, they don't have so many half-priced yoghourts anymore but I feel that was the right thing to do for them and for ecology. Anyway, having people hungry on the streets, it would be great if they donated those foods to charity shokudos. The goverment should open that kind of institutions. And alowing the employees to take them back home would not be a bad idea. I don't think any convenience store employee is rich.
LFRAgain at 05:54 PM JST - 24th June

i've noticed over the years than a lot of supermarkets start looking noticeably bare around closing time although konbinis always insist on being fully stocked

That's probably because regular supermarkets have closing times, while most convenience stores do not. With customers coming in at all hours, it's a little hard to predict what you'll need to have stocked. But there are pretty sophisticated inventory control software suites out there (and regular, old-fashioned bookkeeping techniques) that plot consumer product consumption and pinpoint how much of a given product needs to be on hand at any given time. I'm genuinely surprised that more stores don't use such strategies.

Or perhaps they do, for all I know, but just don't know how to do the math properly. Judging by the inability of most cashiers in Japan to count back simple change, I wouldn't be surprised.

But consumer buying trends are a fine science now. It shouldn't require that much to map buying patterns and adjust the inventory accordingly. In short, there's really no excuse for some of the more egregious examples of waste that go on here.

In the event that food does end up left over, despite a store's best efforts at inventory control, charity is always the best option for leftover food.
Nessie at 05:56 PM JST - 24th June

Don't shop at convenience stores, particularly for bentos and other perishables.
nisegaijin at 09:14 PM JST - 24th June

nothing. people just didnt buy stuff. too bad.. if it expires, shoganai. not even worth discussion.
Mark_McCracken at 01:37 AM JST - 25th June

With enough genetic engineering, chemical preservatives and radiation you could probably reduce the volume of discarded food by at least 80%.
Stonecoldsoba at 09:35 AM JST - 25th June

Introduce an extra charge (or increase it, if it already exits) for disposal of unsold food.
wibble at 12:01 PM JST - 25th June

Instead of 8 shelves of inedible 'bread like' snacks why not stock some real food? The food that is left at the end is obviously the least desirable, stock less of it and buy more decent stuff instead.
blvtzpk at 04:36 PM JST - 25th June

Eat it. Eat it NOW.
Altria at 04:44 PM JST - 25th June

Only sell canned food.
stirfry at 06:56 PM JST - 25th June

eat it ?
Den Den at 10:01 PM JST - 25th June

Actually a lot of it is collected and cooked into food for cows. What makes this interesting is that there is a meat in the waste, and feeding meat to cows causes certain problems...
Stereofreak at 11:40 PM JST - 25th June

I remember going to a Conbini once at 11:59pm, and the boy working at the till was restuffing the shelves. Looking at the boxes full of wasted food, I asked him what they did with all the discarded items. He said they burned them.

Flaunting my deep-seated gaijin obsession for argument, I offered to buy a box full of discarded anpan; after all, it was 12:02 and they had only gone off two minutes ago (and I do love my sweet anko bread in the middle of the night). "I'm sorry, I can't sell you that" said the boy. "You can buy those fresh ones over there, though" he quickly interjected, pointing at the newly-stocked shelf.

"Mottainai ssu ne" said I. "Hai, mottainai desu ne" said he, apologetically.

I left in dismay, without buying anything.

I understand the company is trying to protect itself from being sued...but if that's the case, then at least they could make me sign a waiver and protect my consumer's right to buy stale, rancid, 2-minute old anpan. Just thinking of the boxfulls of food that get wasted at each shop every day makes me shiver.