TOKYO -- As much as 8 million tons of edible food is discarded by convenience store chains, department stores and elsewhere in Japan every year simply because it is approaching its sell-by date. Rather than letting such food go to waste, one company is turning it into healthy, low-cost pig feed.
Still-edible breads and sandwiches are discarded simply because they are close to their expiration date. Japan Food Ecology Center's food-recycling plant in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, receives up to 32 tons of food waste a day from about 180 operators. This includes unsold or close-to-date prepared food from department stores and convenience store chains, as well as waste from food-processing plants.
