On December 1, "Temaedori" (Take one in the front), which has been conducted by Co-op Kobe* to reduce food loss, was selected as one of the top 10 words in the "U-can New Words and Buzzwords Awards 2022**."

Representatives from Co-op Kobe and Kobe City, which have long been involved in this initiative, as well as the Japan Franchise Association which promotes "Temaedori" at convenience stores, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, participated in the announcement and award ceremony held on the same day.

"Temaedori" refers to an initiative to reduce food loss by actively encouraging consumers to select and buy products placed in the front of the shelves during their daily shopping.

The reason for this is that in Japan, new products are often placed at the back of the shelf and old ones in the front. Consumers who know this tend to take products at the back of the shelf to choose fresher products with a longer expiration date.

In this way, old products are left in the front of the shelf and may be thrown away after their sales expiration date has passed. To reduce this problem, "Temaedori" was launched to reduce product waste and food loss by having consumers take a product in the front with a shorter expiration date if they will soon eat it.

The word "Temaedori" is now spreading throughout Japan, and this was triggered in part by Co-op Kobe's campaign in October 2018 in collaboration with Kobe City to encourage "Temaedori".

In the stores in Kobe City, a variety of activities have been implemented, including posting "Temaedori" awareness POP posters, attaching "Temaedori" discount stickers, and taste comparison events between products that are near best before dates and those that are not.

Since 2019, the initiative has been spreading to all stores in the operational area.

*Co-op Kobe is a primary consumer co-op with approximately 1.72 million members and operates stores and home delivery businesses in Hyogo, northern Osaka, and parts of Kyoto prefectures in Japan. (As of 31 March 2022)　

**The "U-can New Words and Buzzwords Awards 2022" has been held annually since 1984 to select new words and buzzwords that have become popular in Japan over the past year and to award individuals and organizations involved with these words.

Other related JCCU NEWS: （Co-op Kobe's environmental activities）