Non-standard vegetables– category –

System developer Nihon Knowledge Space was newly certified as a MAFF "Outstanding Food Education Practice Corporation 2026" for initiatives such as providing the off-spec vegetable delivery service "LossHeru" to all employees at company expense. It joined the list as one of the 333 companies in the first year.

Two upcycled beverages using fully ripe sudachi grown in Tokushima Prefecture were commercialized by Fuji and Mitsubishi Foods. As a rescue of citrus that wasn't shipped while green and was discarded after ripening yellow, it becomes the prefecture's 8th upcycling case.

"Blue blossom," a snack brand upcycling off-spec vegetables grown in Hokkaido, exhibited at the welfare event WellFes 2026. We introduce its management philosophy of "not making welfare something special" and its efforts to reduce food loss.

Seven-Eleven adopted Toyama-grown komatsuna, which tends to be discarded for overgrowing, in its "Red Salmon Barley-Rice Onigiri." We explain this food-loss-reduction effort, sold at about 340 Hokuriku stores from June 2, in partnership with JA Zen-Noh Toyama.

KOMPEITO teamed with JA Zen-Noh Kanagawa to process Miura-grown watermelon that can't reach the market due to blemishes or shape into konjac jelly. It began an effort to deliver it to over 25,000 offices nationwide via the placed-type health cafeteria "Office de Yasai."

Yamanashi's KEIPE and the Kiyosato Milk Plant will release a new gelato "Noryo Jealousy," combining whey produced in cheese-making with off-spec fruit, on April 28, 2026. We summarize the background of the release and where to buy it.

"This tomato can't be shipped—its calyx is a bit cracked." With harvested vegetables before them, such words are exchanged among production sites not infrequently. Vegetables that fall out of distribution based solely on "shape" or "size," even though the flavor, aroma, and the effort of growing them should be the same...

We want to be a presence like a greengrocer, connecting farmers and you, the consumer. The brand name OYAOYA—adding a Kyoto-style "o" to "yaoya" (greengrocer) and letting the presence of "yasai" (vegetables) waft through—holds such a thought. Nice to meet you. We are Agriture, which operates OYAOYA...

The coffee or chocolate you casually pick up every day. That one cup, that one piece, may be supporting the life of someone working hard on the other side of the globe. Have you heard the term fair trade? This effort, meaning "fair, equitable trade," is tied to our consumption...

Every Tuesday, at a shared dining space in Kikukawa, Tokyo, we hold the onigiri shop "Onigiri and Soup with Kyoto-Grown Dried Vegetables" using dried vegetables. Based on obanzai making use of dried vegetables, we propose a new form of onigiri. While treasuring regional ingredients, off-spec veg...

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the habit of eating at home has taken root, and the value sought in dining out has changed greatly. Beyond merely "delicious," higher-level elements such as consideration for the environment and social significance have come to be demanded. Drawing attention amid this is dried...

The Reality of Off-Spec Vegetables, About 30% of Total Harvest Discarded. At Japan's agricultural sites, about 30% of harvested vegetables are discarded as "off-spec" without being shipped. According to MAFF statistics, domestic food loss reaches about 5.23 million tons per year (FY2021 estimate), of which the agricultural production stage...

Kyoto, boasting over a thousand years of history, has a diverse array of "traditional preserved foods" born from rich seasons and the wisdom of daily life. In an age without refrigeration, the sun-dried vegetables, pickles, and fermented foods devised to make the most of seasonal ingredients without waste still support the Kyoto table today. This article covers...

The April 2026 issue of the monthly "Vegetable Information," published by the Agriculture & Livestock Industries Corporation (ALIC), carried a feature article on the vegetable freshness-preservation technology developed by ZEROCO Inc. The corporation is a public institution that surveys and publishes vegetable supply-demand and price trends, and being featured in its specialist journal shows industry attention on ZEROCO's technology...

On January 28, 2026, the Denmark-born food-loss-reduction app "Too Good To Go" entered the Japanese market. Registered users topped 250,000 within a week of launch, and it captured the No.1 overall ranking on the App Store. This speed shows that Japanese consumers...

In 2026, the world's food-waste cost is projected to reach 540 billion dollars. This is up from 526 billion dollars the previous year, and if this continues, cumulative losses for 2025–2030 will reach 3.4 trillion dollars. This figure, reported by New Food Magazine based on expert analysis, relates to the UN SDGs' Goal 12...

On March 31, 2026, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries published the April growth conditions and price outlook for vegetables destined for the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market. With rainfall and rising temperatures since late February, the growth of many leafy vegetables has recovered, and cabbage and lettuce are expected to see supply slightly above average and prices fall year-on-year. On the other hand, last summer's...

The Ministry of the Environment announced that food loss generated within Japan in FY2023 (fiscal 2023) was about 4.64 million tons. This is an 80,000-ton reduction from the previous fiscal year (FY2022) figure of about 4.72 million tons, and a steady improving trend continues. However, reaching the government's FY2030 target still requires a large...

The Denmark-born food-loss-reduction app "Too Good To Go" was adopted on March 26, 2026, at stores of Super Value (operated by OIC Group), the first domestic supermarket chain to do so. The service starts first at two stores in Tokyo, Super Value Suginami Takaido and Todoroki...

On March 30, 2026, JA Kumamoto Keizairen (Kumamoto Prefecture Economic Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives) started crowdfunding on Makuake for "Tomoru Oyasai," which regenerates blemished vegetables (tomato, eggplant) that can't be shipped or eaten into poster lights with washi shades. The JA Keizairen originally...

From April 1, 2026, the Consumer Affairs Agency, in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, begins operating a food bank certification system. By certifying food bank organizations that manage food appropriately and meet the compliance items of the "Food Donation Guidelines," it promotes donations from food manufacturers and retailers, reducing food loss...

Cabbage Stays High at 149 yen/kg in Late March—Amid Continued Price Instability of Spring Vegetables, Why the "Stability" of Dried Vegetables Draws Attention

In June 2025, the Ministry of the Environment published FY2023 (fiscal 2023) food loss generation. The total was about 4.64 million tons, down 80,000 tons from the previous fiscal year (4.72 million tons), setting a new record low since estimation began. Business-related was about 2.31 million tons and household-related about 2.33 million tons, with business-related falling below household-related for the first time. Reduc...

In October 2025, Green Ace Co., Ltd. officially launched the upcycled food brand "upvege." Using its proprietary powdering technology, it transforms "unused vegetables"—those that didn't reach the market because their shape or size didn't meet standards—into high-value-added products with their color, aroma, and nutrition intact...

AEON-Born Sustainable Chocolate | Achieving Cacao-Free with Sunflower Seeds

March 25, 2026

The FY2023 (fiscal 2023) food loss estimate published by the Ministry of the Environment was 4.64 million tons, a new record low since statistics began. But what deserves attention beyond the figure is the change in the breakdown. Business-related (companies, restaurants, etc.) food loss was 2.31 million tons, falling below household-related (2.33 million tons) for the first time...

FamilyMart × Food-Loss App Cuts Waste 5% | Convenience Stores Move

Upcycled Foods Expand | The New Value of Off-Spec Vegetables

We Were Featured on MAFF's "Nippon Food Shift" Suste-Nabe Page

March 10, 2026

Hello, everyone. I’m Kojima of Agriture Inc. We work to transform unused resources—non-standard vegetables and surplus harvest—into new food raw materials through drying and powdering. Working daily to give new value to vegetables, across generations...

As companies work toward realizing a sustainable society, novelty goods too are increasingly required to reduce environmental impact and be sustainable. Among these, dried vegetables are sometimes used as a new kind of novelty that can contribute to the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)...

“Non-standard vegetables” discarded without reaching the market for reasons such as appearance or size not meeting standards. Although they are still perfectly edible, many are discarded, making them a major cause of food loss. Today, putting such non-standard vegetables to use is drawing attention...

With about 40% of the food produced worldwide being discarded, “upcycle foods” are drawing attention as a new solution that turns that waste into value. This article explains the idea of upcycling—breathing new life into ingredients and byproducts destined for disposal—and the Kyoto-born dried vegetable brand “OY...

Soaring resource prices, pressure for environmental consideration, the current toward sustainable management. What companies are now called on to have is a “use-it-all” mindset. Drawing attention is the use of “unused resources” overlooked until now—byproducts of discarded crops, ingredients dormant in regions, and what comes out during processing...

Dried goods are ingredients dried for long-term storage. By removing the moisture, they are characterized by concentrated umami and nutritional components. In Japanese food culture, dried goods have long held an important place. With their excellent shelf stability, the convenience of being usable easily anytime, and their distinctive flavor and texture...

Agriture partners with farmers around the world, promoting fair trade and sustainable agriculture. Through high-quality agricultural products, we run a fair trade business connecting producers and consumers.

Wanting to source commercial vegetable powder in small lots—this is a challenge common to a wide range of businesses: restaurants, food manufacturers, EC operators, confectionery workshops, and more. The unit-price benefit of bulk sourcing is appealing, but considering inventory risk, loss at the prototyping stage, and cash flow, “first, at a scale of about 5–50 kg...

Right now, product development that makes use of “regional individuality” is drawing attention. Among these, foods using heirloom vegetables and Kyoto vegetables are strongly supported for the gift market and inbound-oriented products, thanks to their visual beauty and rarity. Especially now, with inbound tourists increasing, region...

Getting plenty of vegetables every day is the foundation of health. But in reality, many people can't get enough vegetables for reasons such as "I'm too busy to spend time cooking," "my kids dislike vegetables and won't eat them," or "I just don't like the taste." Against that backdrop...

Gift food OEM using Kyoto ingredients is a field that lets you add the value of the “Kyoto brand” to products—value that product development in other regions cannot deliver. In addition to Kyoto vegetables such as Kujo green onion, Shogoin daikon, Kamo eggplant, and Manganji pepper, and up to the pickles, tsukudani, Kyoto sweets, and dashi that Kyoto’s food culture has nurtured, ingredients...

Powder processing of Kyoto vegetables is one of the few options that lets you translate a regional brand into a product at the raw-material level. Kujo green onion, Manganji pepper, Shogoin daikon, Kyo-kurenai carrot, Mizuo yuzu—the heirloom vegetables Kyoto has long nurtured excel in every respect: color, aroma, and story. Food OEM...

The strength of requesting ingredient-processing OEM in Kyoto lies in access to Kyoto vegetables, heirloom vegetables, and Kyoto-grown ingredients, and in a quality-control system backed by the culture of long-established makers and artisans. By combining processing techniques such as drying, powdering, and extract extraction with Kyoto-grown ingredients, you get something beyond mere OEM manufacturing—a...

Maple & apple granola using dried apple. Under the mission “fermenting the earth,” Oryzae Co., Ltd. manufactures and sells sugar-free, additive-free, gluten-free granola and rice-koji sauces centered on rice koji. We provided dried apple, and...

Commercializing an attention-grabbing fruit tomato from Kyotango. We received the “yarisugi tomato”—grown in Kumihama, Kyotango, in an environment so harsh it is called an “athlete vegetable,” with sweetness and tartness packed densely—from Wada Farm and made it into a product. High-sugar tomatoes are hard to dry...

A project toward establishing radish as a regional specialty. This is a project started as a means of regional revitalization, initiated by Mr. Nomura, who grows radishes in the Kyotamba area of Kyoto. Agriture CEO Kojima supported the web system construction and the back end including SNS...

Yasai Yakuzen, balancing the body with vegetables. Together with YAKUZEN TOKYO Co., Ltd., we launched the “Yasai Yakuzen” service—a way of eating that balances the body from within using “familiar vegetables” available at supermarkets. Even the vegetables we casually eat, when appropriately chosen and appropriately cooked from a yakuzen perspective...

About Buddy’s Farm. Buddy’s Farm (Odawara City, Kanagawa) is an agricultural corporation known for growing somewhat rare mini tomatoes. About six years since founding, it has shipped to local direct sales and restaurants while committing to varieties with thin skins and strong individual flavor. Making use of that know-how, last year...

A dried vegetable assortment set perfect for “Nissin Raoh.” For Nissin Foods Co., Ltd., to coincide with “Food Loss Reduction Day” on October 30, we had them adopt a “dried vegetable assortment set” perfect for the company’s flagship product “Nissin Raoh.” Adoption details: on Food Loss Reduction Day...