Studies on the reduction of food waste in the Food industry
especially in the food supermarket
Mizuho SatoAbstract
1. Introduction
The amount of food waste, world-wide, is large. A report by the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nation (FAO) showed one third of the food become waste(about 1,300 million tons) and, when calculating the waste as an amount of money, it isabout 750 billion US dollars per year. If somehow such food waste could be used forpeople who need food, 2 billion peoples could be saved. Also in Japan, food waste islarge, so it is important to reduce food waste in Japan as well as in the world at large.
Japan's food waste is 19 million tons per year and 5 to 9 million tons of that food waste
comes from food loss. Therefore, food waste in Japan's overall food industry waschosen as a focal point, concentrating on waste in Japanese food supermarkets, andsources, causes, and conditions of waste generation were analyzed. A system forreducing, reusing and recycling supermarket food waste was defined and tested.

2. Contents of Paper
This paper consists of eight chapters. In chapter one background research on theimportance of this subject is described. In chapter two an analysis, using Quality
Function Deployment (QFD), is made of the structure of waste generating in the foodindustry, including actions of consumers and employees which influence generation offood waste.. In the third chapter, food waste generation in food special supermarkets isanalyzed. Employee education to reduce food waste was suggested based on data on thelarge amount of vegetable and fruit waste, along with other concrete methods forreducing such waste. In Chapter 4, descriptive food labels for food waste reduction arei

proposed. Widespread lack of consumer understanding of food labels was found in thisresearch. Moreover, consumers who know the background (inspection methods, a safety
factors, the 1/3 rule) of the current descriptive label setup clarified few things for thisresearch. It turned out that there are many consumers who decide how long to retain
foods, using them. A new food label scientifically based is devised, along with a label
method containing the date manufactured plus a safety factor, and a 1/3 rule. In Chapter
5, the present condition of Japanese food banks is clarified along with a proposed way
to encourage more food bank activity. The proposal unites food stock and food bankactivation. Stockpiled food is evaluated nutritionally showing the ratio of lipid andcarbohydrate is high, and vitamins and minerals insufficient. Vegetables and fruit areproposed as a source of good nutrition, along with particular coordination withsupermarkets. Examination of laws on recycling food waste is done in Chapter 6. A
recycling method accepted by consumers in supermarkets is clarified ending in aproposed waste zero (zero emission) approach.

3. General discussion, conclusion and perspectives
Chapter 7 contains a general discussion. Chapter 8, presents conclusions andperspectives. Deepening use of the 3R idea of Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle to develop
technology is suggested. Cooperation of all involved parties, from consumers, foodsuppliers, supermarket, legal regulators, to government and how it must evolve to reachnational zero waste emission is discussed. What Japan might be able to pioneer for use
elsewhere in the world is stated with specific recommendations.

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