{"id":1882,"date":"2026-03-24T16:30:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T07:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/agriture.jp\/industry_news\/food-loss-record\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T00:46:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T15:46:58","slug":"food-loss-record","status":"publish","type":"industry_news","link":"https:\/\/agriture.jp\/en\/industry_news\/food-loss-record\/","title":{"rendered":"Food loss at 4.64 million tons, a record low | Business-related loss falls below household-related for the first time"},"content":{"rendered":"

The food loss estimate for FY2023 (Reiwa 5) released by the Ministry of the Environment was4.64 million tons<\/strong>, updating the lowest figure since statistics began. But what deserves more attention than the number is the change in the breakdown. Business-sector food loss (companies, restaurants, etc.) came to2.31 million tons<\/strong>, falling below the household sector (2.33 million tons) for the first time. The efforts accumulated in the production, distribution, and processing fields have finally shown in the numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A \"historic turning point\" as the business sector fell below the household sector for the first time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It decreased by 80,000 tons from 4.72 million tons the previous fiscal year (Reiwa 4), a reduction rate of 1.7% year on year. It may look modest, but the business sector alone advanced at 2.1% year on year, outpacing the household sector (down 1.3%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Category<\/th>FY2022 (Reiwa 4)<\/th>FY2023 (Reiwa 5)<\/th>Reduction rate<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Business sector total<\/td>2.36 million tons<\/td>2.31 million tons<\/td>\u25b22.1%<\/td><\/tr>
Food manufacturing<\/td>\u2014<\/td>1.08 million tons<\/td>\uff0847%\uff09<\/td><\/tr>
Restaurant industry<\/td>\u2014<\/td>660,000 tons<\/td>\uff0829%\uff09<\/td><\/tr>
Food retail<\/td>\u2014<\/td>480,000 tons<\/td>\uff0821%\uff09<\/td><\/tr>
Household sector total<\/td>2.36 million tons<\/td>2.33 million tons<\/td>\u25b21.3%<\/td><\/tr>
Grand total<\/td>4.72 million tons<\/td>4.64 million tons<\/td>\u25b21.7%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Within the business sector, food manufacturing accounts for the largest share at 1.08 million tons (47%). In this industry, cross-industry efforts such as effective use of out-of-spec vegetables and yield improvement in the manufacturing process are advancing. Considering that 10 years ago in FY2015 (Heisei 27) it was 6.46 million tons, a reduction of over 28% can be called a remarkable achievement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only \"2.2 points\" remain to the 2030 target<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The 2030 reduction target the Japanese government sets is a60% reduction<\/strong>for the business sector versus FY2000 (5.47 million tons). As of FY2023, the reduction rate has reached 57.8%, with 2.2 points remaining to the target. Achieving the target has come into view ahead of the household sector (target of halving, currently a 46.1% reduction).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind the progress in business-sector reduction are improved ordering accuracy at convenience store chains, reduced raw-material loss in food manufacturing, and strengthened disposal management at restaurant chains. The increase in companies seriously working on SDGs compliance is also one factor that pushed the numbers down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using out-of-spec vegetables is the \"hidden star\" of reduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Within food loss reduction, what is not much discussed but important is \"using out-of-spec vegetables.\" In the production process of agricultural produce, a certain volume of vegetables that do not meet appearance or size standards arises. By drying and processing such out-of-spec vegetables into powder or dried vegetables, produce that would have gone to disposal is reborn as value-added products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dried processing has high preservability and low transport cost, so it benefits all three of farmers, processors, and food manufacturers. In fact, cases developed asUpcycled foods<\/a>are increasing, and balancing food loss reduction with business viability is advancing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organizing the relationship between out-of-spec vegetables and food loss<\/a>, dried processing can be called one of the most realistic options as a solution. As long as food manufacturing bears 47% of business-sector food loss reduction, along with rethinking the manufacturing process, efforts to reduce waste from the raw-material sourcing stage are being called for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \"habit of stocking preserved vegetables\" works to lower the household sector<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While the business sector leads, reduction in the household sector (2.33 million tons) leaves issues. In the breakdown of household food loss, \"direct disposal (discarded unopened)\" is the largest at 1 million tons (43%), followed by \"leftovers\" at 970,000 tons (41%) and \"excessive removal\" at 360,000 tons (16%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To reduce direct disposal, the habit of buying ingredients in amounts you can use up and making use of highly preservable ingredients is effective.Dried vegetables<\/a>can be stored long at room temperature and taken out only in the amount you want to use, so it directly links to reducing household food loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The figure of 4.64 million tons of food loss is certainly falling. But converted per person, that is37 kilograms<\/strong>a year, meaning about 100 grams of food discarded every day. If household ingenuity is added to the business sector's efforts, achieving the 2030 target becomes more certain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References:Ministry of the Environment, \"On the Release of the Estimated Food Loss Generation Volume in Japan (FY2023)\"<\/a>\uff5cCircular Economy Hub, \"Japan's food loss falls to a record-low 4.64 million tons\"<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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