In a bid to reduce the amount of unsold ehomaki sushi rolls that are thrown away, major convenience stores have introduced a reservation-only system ahead of setsubun on Feb. 3.
The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry has also publicized the name of companies that are making efforts to reduce ehomaki waste.
Ehomaki literally means "lucky direction roll," and is believed to bring good health all through the year if eaten on the day of setsubun, the end of winter according to the lunar calendar. The lucky direction of this year's setsubun, which falls on Monday Feb. 3, is west-southwest.
Supermarkets and convenience stores nationwide have focused on selling ehomaki ahead of the day.
Market size doubles
Retailers have seen increasing sales of ehomaki year by year, and have set sales targets above each previous year's sales.
According to the Japan Anniversary Association, the market for ehomaki and other setsubun-related products has doubled to an estimated 57.5 billion yen from 10 years ago -- equal to nearly half of Valentine's Day sales.
However, many ehomaki are thrown away after setsubun. With the amount of waste increasing following the rapid expansion in sales, the mass disposal of unsold ehomaki has become a target of public criticism as a "typical example of food waste."
According to the ministry, there was 6.43 million tons of food waste in fiscal 2016, more than 10% of which was from food retailers.
FamilyMart Co. introduced a reservation system for the sale of ehomaki this year. The major convenience store operator also switched to a similar reservation system for selling kabayaki-style boiled eel bento boxes in summer last year. As a result, FamilyMart said it has successfully reduced food losses by about 80% in terms of value.
Discounted rolls
Aeon Retail Co. started accepting reservations for ehomaki in mid-December last year, two weeks earlier than the previous year, offering discounts for early reservations. It aimed to double the rate of sales by reservation to around 35% from 17% in the previous year.
"We hope the practice will take root among consumers," an official of the company said.
Aeon Retail has also prepared a wide variety of half-sized ehomaki to make it easier for customers to eat it all.
These efforts are gaining momentum as the law to reduce food loss went into effect in October.
"As more investors pay attention to environmental issues, companies are being urged to tackle the problem," said Masayuki Kubota, chief strategist for Rakuten Securities Inc.
The health ministry released on its website for the first time in January the name of companies that are striving to reduce ehomaki waste. The number on the list had reached 43 companies as of Friday.
The website states whether the companies sell ehomaki by reservation, and whether they are trying to improve production and sales plans. The ministry also provides an official logo to companies trying to cutting food waste in cooperation with the government so they can promote their efforts to consumers
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