Japan’s needy: will there be enough food? Concerns grow food banks will not get enough donations amid rising prices
- Food banks are worried that, as recession looms due to war in Ukraine, demand will outstrip supply, which will leave people at risk
- Problem made worse by firms like Seiyu GK, part of Rakuten, that destroy food they can’t sell before expiry date, and lack of information
The neediest in Japanese society have muddled through the last couple of years, enduring the economic insecurity that has accompanied the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on jobs with the help of the nation’s food banks.
With Japan – and the rest of the world – apparently headed into recession as a result of the Ukraine war, there is growing concern that demand on food banks is going to outstrip the help they are able to provide.
Compounding the problem, food bank operators say, is that more retail companies are insisting on destroying food that cannot be sold before its expiry date, while too little information is available to those who need help the most.
“At its most basic, there is no food safety net for the most needy in Japan,” said Iruma Tanaka, a member of the board of the Tokyo-based Alliance of Japan Foodbanks, which brings together 11 like-minded organisations across the country.
“There are too many people who cannot access food because there are few church organisations or city councils that provide help,” he said. “Yes, there is other help, such as welfare payments, but not something as basic as food help.”
