Japanese researchers innovate simple solution to reduce food waste
Researchers in Tokyo, Japan have developed a straightforward technique to help households reduce food waste by organizing their refrigerators more efficiently. The method, which requires only tape and stickers, was introduced by Kohei Watanabe, a waste management researcher at Teikyo University. Watanabe explains that food often spoils and is wasted because it gets forgotten in the fridge. This innovative approach aims to tackle the global issue of household food loss, which accounts for significant portions of total food waste worldwide.
Household food waste: A global concern
Household food waste is a significant global issue, with about 60% of all food waste in the UK and 40-50% in the US originating from homes. Japan reports similar statistics, with approximately 47% of the country's 5.2 million tonnes of edible food waste in 2021 coming from private kitchens. Tomoko Okayama, a waste management researcher at Taisho University in Tokyo, highlights that importing more food than necessary, only to discard a large portion, is not advisable for Japan.
Tackling food waste through fridge organization
Researchers Okayama and Watanabe have been studying why edible food ends up in the trash and using their findings to devise interventions. Their latest project applies fridge-tidying techniques to tackle one common source of loss: the cluttered fridge. Okayama believes that assisting people in managing their fridges can help prevent them from forgetting about the food inside. This simple yet effective approach could potentially reduce significant amounts of household food waste.
Misunderstanding food labels contributes to waste
In 2018, Okayama conducted a survey revealing that many people discard food at the "best-by" date, often due to confusion. However, Watanabe clarifies that "best-by" and "use-by" dates are not the same thing, and neither necessarily means that a product is no longer good, especially in the case of fermented foods. This misunderstanding of food labels is another significant factor contributing to household food waste.
Testing fridge organization techniques in Tokyo neighborhood
Okayama and Watanabe tested their multi-pronged strategy of community education and practical fridge-tidying techniques in Arakawa, a Tokyo neighborhood already invested in reducing food waste. They introduced several techniques for smarter fridge organization, including using bright red-and-white-striped tape to mark off a section for quickly expiring items. They also distributed clear open-topped plastic trays to make imminently spoiling foods more visible and easily accessible.
Mindful discarding: A key to reducing food waste
Researchers distributed stickers with the message "I cannot eat you. I'm so sorry" to promote mindful food discarding. Participants were encouraged to place a sticker on each food item they threw away and reflect on its message. Two weeks after introducing these methods, they found a 10% reduction in waste in the experimental area and a 10% increase in the control area. This experiment demonstrated that simple changes can have a significant impact on reducing household food waste.
