Japanese companies are increasingly adopting technology to cut costs and reduce food waste during the COVID-19 health crisis. They are using artificial intelligence (AI) to assist in this work. The companies are eager to strengthen their sustainable development efforts. How big is the food waste problem in Japan?
The information provided by the Japanese government shows that over 6 million foods waste tons is thrown away every year. The cost of dealing with this food waste is about $19 billion implying Japan has more quantities of food waste per citizen as compared with any Asian country.
Reduce Food Waste
Therefore, the Japanese government passed a new law. The goal is to reduce the cost of food waste by 50% compared to 2000. The government hopes to achieve this goal by 2030 and calls on companies to find solutions to the problem.
Lawson, a convenience store operator now uses AI from the American company DataRobot. DataRobot employs technology to search for ways to match supply and demand.
Where the plan started, Lawson’s goal was to reduce excess products by 30%. The company’s plan is similar to the Japanese government. The company’s goal is to reduce its food waste by 50% by 2030 compared to 2018. The second largest cost of Lawson shopkeepers is the disposal of food waste and labor is its highest expense.
Shipping Damage
Beverage maker Suntory Beverage and Food Company is experimenting with AI products from a different company from Japan, Fujitsu. Suntory is testing whether products like bottles of water and tea are damaged during shipping.
So far, this has been done manually, and it takes a long time. With the new AI technology, Suntory wanted to comprehend how its products are damaged when they are shipped to the store and how much must be returned for replacement.
Sharable System
Suntory’s goal is to reduce returns by 30% to 50% and reduce food waste costs. The purpose of this work is to develop a sharable system with different food manufacturers and companies that ship their products.
As we all know, Japanese buyers are very picky. But they also show signs of recognition. Especially due to the health crisis of the coronavirus is affecting people’s income.
In 2014, Tatsuya founded Sekito Kuradashi, an Internet company that sells excess groceries at discounted prices. He founded the company while working for a Japanese company doing business in China. There, he saw a lot of waste from food manufacturers.