Vegetable Shortage Among Those in Their 20s Is 100g Below Target — The Answer Shown by the Solution Idea Contest 2026 and Dried Vegetables
The vegetable-intake target set by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is 350 g per day. However, the average intake of people in their 20s stays at about 256 g—about 100 g short of the target—which is the reality. Recruitment for the second "Vegetable Shortage Among People in Their 20s Solution Idea Contest 2026" began on March 2, 2026, and attention is again gathering on new solutions to increase vegetable intake among young people. In this article, we consider how dried vegetables can contribute to resolving vegetable shortage among young people.
TOC
Why is the vegetable intake of people in their 20s insufficient?
According to the National Health and Nutrition Survey, the daily vegetable intake of people in their 20s is about 256 g. Against the target of 350 g, this is 94 g short—about 27% by proportion. Behind this are structural issues such as "heavy use of dining out and prepared food," "low frequency of home cooking," "lack of cooking skills," and "difficulty using up ingredients" (reference:Vegetable Shortage Among Japanese People Widens | The Reality of Not Reaching the 350g Target）。
Especially among people in their 20s living alone, there are many cases where they buy vegetables but discard them without using them up, so the two problems of food loss and vegetable shortage occur at the same time. The vicious cycle of "buying vegetables but throwing them away" is one factor keeping young people away from vegetables.
What is the "Vegetable Shortage Among People in Their 20s Solution Idea Contest 2026"?
The second contest, for which recruitment began on March 2, 2026, broadly recruits novel ideas, products, and services for the social issue of vegetable shortage among people in their 20s. Following the response to the previous (first) contest, it is held on an expanded scale.
Behind the attention the contest is gathering is the awareness that there are limits to simply raising awareness with "let's eat vegetables." Implementation measures suited to young people's lifestyles and eating behavior—that is, solutions that simultaneously satisfy ease, cost performance, storability, and deliciousness—are called for.
Why dried vegetables can resolve the vegetable shortage of people in their 20s
From this perspective, dried vegetables and freeze-dried vegetables are positioned as one strong solution. We organize the reasons they have high affinity with the lifestyle of people in their 20s.
| Challenge | Solution via dried vegetables |
|---|---|
| Cooking is a hassle | Done just by pouring hot water or mixing. No knife needed |
| Can't use it up and end up discarding it | Room-temperature long-term storage lets you use only the amount you need. Zero disposal |
| Eating out a lot makes it hard to get vegetables | "Adding vegetables" to soup, miso soup, instant noodles, and the like is easy |
| Hard to grasp nutritional balance | Multi-item intake is easy with products that mix multiple items |
| Want to keep food costs down | Because it is processed in season, the unit price is easier to stabilize than fresh product |
The freeze-dried vegetable market shows a high growth rate of 8.7% annually (reference:The Freeze-Dried Vegetable Market Grows 8.7% Annually | The Background of Its Expansion), and one of its main demand groups is young people with time-saving cooking needs. Dried vegetables in small-capacity, high-quality packaging mindful of people in their 20s can be called the very "implementable idea" the contest seeks.
Actions that agricultural and food-processing operators can take
The existence of the contest can be read as a business opportunity for agricultural and food-processing operators that handle dried-vegetable OEM as well. There are many cases where contest applicants and award-winning companies need an OEM manufacturing partner when giving concrete form to new products and new services.
Also, product appeal of the social-issue-solving type readily gains consumer empathy and is effective for marketing to young people. The angle of "dried vegetables that easily resolve vegetable shortage" also overlaps with the context of the SDGs and health management, and has appeal in both B2B and B2C.
If you are interested in contract manufacturing (OEM) of dried vegetables, please feel free to contact Agriture Kyoto.
Source:livedoor News, "Vegetable Shortage Among People in Their 20s Solution Idea Contest 2026"/ Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, National Health and Nutrition Survey
Recommended reading
Commercial dried vegetables / Sustainable initiatives / Product lineup / Cabbage stays high at 149 yen/kg into late March—amid continuing price instability of spring vegetables, dried / The Consumer Affairs Agency begins operating a food-bank certification system from April 1—in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, food donation's
- The Consumer Affairs Agency approves the second food loss reduction policy in a Cabinet decision—raising the 2030 target from 50% to 60%, for an additional 200,000-ton reduction
- Consumer Affairs Agency Begins Operating a Food Bank Certification System from April 1—Reducing Loss by Raising the Reliability of Food Donations in Partnership with MAFF
Author of this article
Related articles
-
MAFF Announces the April 2026 Vegetable Price Outlook—Cabbage and Lettuce Down Year-on-Year, Potatoes and Onions Remain High -
In late March 2026, cabbage stayed high at 149 yen/kg at the Nagoya market. Against the backdrop of price instability of spring vegetables amid continued poor weather, the strengths of dried vegetables—stable supply, long-term storage, and avoiding price-fluctuation risk—are drawing renewed attention.
-
What Changed with "Too Good To Go" Landing in Japan—A Turning Point the Food-Loss-Reduction App Presses on the Food Industry
-
The Day Discarded Whey Met the Peach | The Challenge of Yamanashi's KEIPE and Kiyosato Milk
-
VegProject brings 12 companies together at “VEG FOOD EXPO 2026”—April 15–17 at Tokyo Big Sight, with a new vegan selection area and over 50,000 visitors expected
-
22 Companies Including Kagome Launch the "Vegetable-Shortage Solution Idea Contest 2026 for Those in Their 20s"—The Reality of 218g for Men and 210g for Women in Their 20s, Recruiting University-Born Solutions with 500,000 Yen in Total Prizes
-
The Consumer Affairs Agency approves the second food loss reduction policy in a Cabinet decision—raising the 2030 target from 50% to 60%, for an additional 200,000-ton reduction
-
Onions at the Keihin Market Turn Toward a Price Decline as Saga-Grown Supply Increases—After a 2025 Poor Harvest Surged to 159% of Average, Reading the Downward Trend from April Onward
