Economy Japanese consumers resort to expired food

When "substandard" becomes the new normal.

According to Ecolo Marche, a supermarket in a residential area of Tokyo's Adachi Ward, consumers around Japan who are weary of skyrocketing prices are increasingly buying deeply discounted "expired" food and other "substandard" products to get by. At Ecolo Marche, products with "expired" written in large letters on the price tags line the shelves. They include "chocolate for 15 yen ($0.10)," "mineral water for 11 yen" and "salad dressing for 59 yen."

The expiration date is the approximate day by which the product will taste good if stored in an unopened state. It is different than "use-by" dates, which are deemed the last day the products can be safely consumed. Most products are scientifically considered safe to eat within a certain period after their expiration dates. Ogata tastes most of the products to check their quality. To ensure that customers understand what they are buying, he labels the products with expiration dates in large letters. He also confirms that the customer understands the expiration date before the product is passed through the cash register.

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Maruyasu, a supermarket chain in six locations in Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture, sells discounted products that are approaching expiration dates or have damaged packaging. The company said the stores' sales have increased about 1.3 times compared with a year ago.

Kuradashi conducted an online survey on 3,109 men and women aged 20 to 80 nationwide from 3 to 20 October about how the rising cost of living has changed their lifestyles. When asked about "substandard" food products, 92.8 per cent of the respondents said they "don't care about the appearance as long as there are no problems with taste or quality." Seventy per cent said they "are willing to purchase products that are substandard or nearing the expiration date because I am happier with a lower price."

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