After studying the causes of household food waste, researchers Kohei Watanabe and Tomoko Okayama in Tokyo came up with a fridge organization techniques aimed to address most common problems.
The proposed techniques include using bright tape, transparent trays, and labels with 'I can't consume you' images to improve the visibility of soon-to-spoil foods and encourage mindful consumption and proper food storage.
A project implementing these techniques in a residential area in Tokyo resulted in a 20% reduction in food waste, with participants mainly using transparent trays.
Common causes for food waste at households include forgetting items, misinterpreting expiration dates, impulsive shopping, and lack of awareness on reducing food loss.
Opening a cluttered and disorganized refrigerator can trigger anxiety, making it difficult to decide what to consume first, leading to forgotten food items that eventually spoil and contribute to household food waste.
Misunderstanding of "best before" and "use by" dates, especially for fermented foods, contributes to food waste, with "best before" indicating peak flavor and "use by" indicating safety for consumption.
Japan faces increased pressure to find solutions for food waste because of a high percentage of imported food.
Sources: BBC, eldiariony, urgente24, dailymail, eldia, laopinion, 24horas, eldeber, elobservador, newsbytesapp, laprensagrafica, g4food, playtech, fanpage
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.
