NAGANO, Oct. 30 – Matsumoto city, Nagano Prefecture, held the 1st All Japan Food Loss Reduction Conference on October 30, 2017. At the conference, the city introduced one of its key efforts called “30-10 (sanmaru-ichimaru) Movement,” and run a panel discussion of restaurant and retail store owners and consumers to confirm the shared commitment to expanding the food loss reduction movement across the country. The participants also endorsed the decision to name October 30 “food loss reduction day” in Japan. The country, which depends on imports for about 60 percent of its food, discards 6.21 million tons of edible food every year. The purpose of the meeting was to build … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Nov. 2 – Growers of Shine Muscat grapes are recently enjoying brisk business, backed by the overwhelming popularity of the variety known for its sweet and aromatic taste and large, seedless berries that can be eaten without peeling. After the variety was registered in 2006, its cultivation quickly spread nationwide to become the leading breed. It is also gaining popularity in overseas markets, prompting foreign buyers to contact growers to do business with them directly. Because the variety has long shelf-life, it can be shipped through winter even after the production peak is over, helping to boost farmers’ profits. Farmers expanding production as buyers flock to the variety at … Continue reading →