FamilyMart is placing discount stickers with teary-eyed characters and the plea ¡°Please help me¡± on near-expiration rice balls, sandwiches and bento boxes as part of a pilot program that began on Wednesday to tackle food waste.
The Tokyo-based convenience store chain hopes the emotional appeal will tug on customers¡¯ heartstrings and encourage them to purchase items nearing their expiration dates. The trial will continue until Nov. 26 at select stores in Tokyo and Kanagawa prefectures. Posters with the characters will also be displayed at participating retailers.
The stickers feature seven designs with discounts ranging from ?10 to ?150. FamilyMart will compare the results with stores using traditional discount stickers to determine if the character-based labels improve the sales of marked-down products.
In April, FamilyMart conducted a consumer survey showing that respondents reacted positively to the straightforward messaging and character illustrations on the discount labels. Many respondents said they were more likely to buy discounted items when directly reminded of food waste.
¡°If this boosts purchases, we¡¯ll consider expanding the program to more stores,¡± a company representative said.
The initiative is aligned with the company¡¯s ¡°Famima Eco Vision 2050¡± sustainability goals, which include reducing in-store food waste by 50% by 2030 and 80% by 2050, compared to 2018 levels. The chain has introduced other eco-friendly practices connected with the program, such as longer-shelf-life packaging and improved ordering precision, helping to cut food waste by 28.9% in 2023, surpassing its initial goal of 26.3%.
The program¡¯s launch Wednesday coincided with Food Loss Reduction Day in Japan, which aims to spread awareness of the government¡¯s ongoing initiatives to tackle food waste. Since 2015, the country has successfully reduced food loss from 6.46 million tons to 4.72 million tons in 2022. However, the government cautions that waste levels may increase again in the post-pandemic era, underscoring the need for mindful consumption.
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