HIROSHIMA -- An increasing number of companies are changing the best-before date indication on food from a year-month-day to year-month format to reduce food waste of products that are still edible.
The reduction of food waste is also a priority issue of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) advocated by the United Nations. Experts are saying that the impact of the novel coronavirus may further increase the momentum for measures against wasting food.
Hiroshima-based sauce maker Otafuku Sauce Co. changed its best-before date indication from daily to monthly for 67 items, including sauces for okonomiyaki and yakisoba, made from September. For example, if the best-before date is June 7, 2022, the indication will be written as 2022.06 instead of 2022.06.07.
The monthly labeling extends the best-before date to the end of the indicated month. The company believes this can significantly reduce food waste. Another benefit is that managing the shipping and stocking of items will be easier because best-before dates are now only the last days of a month. This means many more items now than before have the same best-before dates even if the dates of manufacturing are different.
"We can address social issues and improve management efficiency at the same time," a company official said.
In recent years, a series of similar efforts have been made by major food manufacturers.
Since 2016, Ezaki Glico Co. has used the monthly best-before date indicator on all processed food products, including biscuits and curry roux.
"There are no complaints in particular," said a company official. "Consumers understand."
The House Foods Group Inc. also plans to replace the best-before date from daily to monthly for its curry roux brand Vermont Curry and other products.
The acceleration of these efforts is largely attributable to the heightened interest in the SDGs adopted by the United Nations in 2015, which incorporated reducing food loss and waste.
According to data from the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry and other sources, food waste in Japan in fiscal 2017 amounted to 6.12 million tons, or 48 kilograms per person over the year.
In October 2019, the Food Loss Reduction Promotion Law was enforced to encourage companies and consumers to reduce food waste.
This year, amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, people are eating out less often and cooking at home more than in an average year. This has helped the promotion of measures to reduce food waste.
For example, an app that allows users to buy at a discount products and foodstuffs that are likely to go unsold at retail stores is gaining popularity.
"Many people buy through the app to help stores and producers whose sales have declined," said an official of the company operating the app.
Consumers are also voicing their support for a review of the best-before date indication.
"In order to select products with a longer shelf life, I always took items from the back of the shelf," said an 80-year-old woman in Hiroshima. "If the format changes, I won't have to be fussy."
A 22-year-old woman shopping at a supermarket in the city added: "The taste does not change even if it's slightly past the best-before date. I want to see more widespread efforts to reduce food waste."
"Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, many consumers have rediscovered the concept of 'mottainai' [regret over wasting something] and interest in the SDGs is growing," said Takuya Ichikawa, a senior researcher at Daiwa Institute of Research. "From now on, even more companies will be active in reducing food waste."
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