Household Food Waste is "About Half of Japan's Total" - In an Era of Rising Prices, Tasukaji's "Meal Prep Service" Solves Food Costs and Food Waste Simultaneously
Tasukaji, a housekeeping matching platform, advocates its meal prep service to combat rising prices and household food waste. It highlights that about half of Japan's total food waste comes from households, showcasing how its service helps utilize ingredients completely and save food expenses.
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- 📰 Published: April 30, 2026 at 23:28
- 🔍 Collected: April 30, 2026 at 15:01
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Tasukaji Inc., operating a housekeeping matching platform (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and CEO: Sachiko Wada), broadly recommends the use of its "meal prep service" as a countermeasure against food waste issues and recent price increases. We introduce how Tasukaji's service can contribute to using up ingredients completely, along with data showing that household food waste accounts for approximately half of Japan's total.
Background: Households struggling with the "double burden" of rising prices and food waste
Amidst continuous price increases, mainly for food items, the burden of household food expenses is growing. However, the issue of "food waste" tends to be overlooked. While food waste is often thought to be a problem for businesses, in fact, about half of Japan's food waste originates from households. From daikon radishes left unused in the refrigerator to other small, daily instances of "not being able to use them up"—these accumulate, leading households into a vicious cycle of "paying extra for food while throwing away ingredients." In this era of rising prices, creating mechanisms to use up ingredients completely is an urgent task.
The history of housework shows the inevitability of the times
Sachiko Wada, CEO of Tasukaji, states, "The evolution of humanity has been a history toward zero housework." Starting with the efficiency of food through the "use of fire" in the Stone Age, followed by settlement in the Yayoi period, sharing housework through local communities in the Edo-Meiji periods, the full-time housewife model in the early Showa period, and the home appliance revolution during rapid economic growth—looking back at history, humanity has consistently evolved towards "lightening" housework.
And in the modern Reiwa era, over 75% of households are dual-income, and the "cognitive load" of housework has increased more than its "quantity." Managing school contact information, subscription management, individualized childcare, and the burden of choice due to health-conscious meal planning like "what's for dinner tonight"—our minds are more filled with housework than ever before. While utilizing external resources has become commonplace for businesses, households are still unable to escape the structure where "the family (especially the mother) bears everything alone." Tasukaji was born precisely to fill this "blank space in the home."
Tasukaji's "meal prep service" uses up ingredients completely
Tasukaji currently connects approximately 150,000 clients with about 5,000 professional housekeepers (Tasukaji-san). It is characterized by its affordable rates, starting from 1,500 yen per hour, and "meal preparation" is a major pillar of its services, alongside cleaning and organizing.
In the meal prep service, Tasukaji-san checks the ingredients in the client's refrigerator and transforms them into multiple dishes in about 3 hours. If meal prep is done once on a Monday, meals equivalent to one week can be prepared, frozen, and refrigerated, making it possible to simply warm them in the microwave on weekdays. All ingredients that tend to remain in the refrigerator, such as daikon radishes and cucumbers, can be used up completely. Users who have actually used the service have shared surprised comments like, "After Tasukaji-san left, the refrigerator that was so packed with ingredients became empty—not even a single leaf was left," which conveys the thoroughness of their "complete usage" firsthand. It is a service that simultaneously achieves both saving on food expenses and reducing food waste.
Furthermore, Tasukaji's accumulated "ingredient-utilization know-how" has also been published as a book, 'Tsukaikiri Recipe' (Complete-Use Recipes), widely disseminating dishes made from leftover household ingredients.
Tasukaji Research Institute changes society through household life log data
Beyond the scope of a housekeeping agency platform, Tasukaji also operates "Tasukaji Research Institute," a "home-based" data solution business for corporations that utilizes household life log data. They are collaborating with food manufacturers, daily necessities manufacturers, and home appliance manufacturers to promote initiatives aimed at achieving "zero food waste" and "sustainable living" across society.
Representative Comment
Sachiko Wada, Representative Director, Tasukaji Inc.:
Under the vision of "Changing the world from inside the home" and the mission of "Making housework zero globally," we are committed to solving social issues. Approximately half of food waste originates from households, and the solutions already exist within the home. Through Tasukaji's meal prep service, we hope to enable intelligent use of ingredients, saving on food expenses, and reducing food waste simultaneously in an era of rising prices. Just as people let go of their attachment to washing clothes in rivers when washing machines appeared, let's work together to solve household food-related challenges in this Reiwa era.
About Tasukaji Inc.'s two businesses
Housekeeping matching platform business "Tasukaji"
This is a sharing economy housekeeping matching service that connects housekeepers (Tasukaji-san) who utilize diverse housekeeping skills with people who want to request housework. Many women across Japan face difficulties in building their desired lives and careers due to the disproportionate burden of housework on women.
Background: Households struggling with the "double burden" of rising prices and food waste
Amidst continuous price increases, mainly for food items, the burden of household food expenses is growing. However, the issue of "food waste" tends to be overlooked. While food waste is often thought to be a problem for businesses, in fact, about half of Japan's food waste originates from households. From daikon radishes left unused in the refrigerator to other small, daily instances of "not being able to use them up"—these accumulate, leading households into a vicious cycle of "paying extra for food while throwing away ingredients." In this era of rising prices, creating mechanisms to use up ingredients completely is an urgent task.
The history of housework shows the inevitability of the times
Sachiko Wada, CEO of Tasukaji, states, "The evolution of humanity has been a history toward zero housework." Starting with the efficiency of food through the "use of fire" in the Stone Age, followed by settlement in the Yayoi period, sharing housework through local communities in the Edo-Meiji periods, the full-time housewife model in the early Showa period, and the home appliance revolution during rapid economic growth—looking back at history, humanity has consistently evolved towards "lightening" housework.
And in the modern Reiwa era, over 75% of households are dual-income, and the "cognitive load" of housework has increased more than its "quantity." Managing school contact information, subscription management, individualized childcare, and the burden of choice due to health-conscious meal planning like "what's for dinner tonight"—our minds are more filled with housework than ever before. While utilizing external resources has become commonplace for businesses, households are still unable to escape the structure where "the family (especially the mother) bears everything alone." Tasukaji was born precisely to fill this "blank space in the home."
Tasukaji's "meal prep service" uses up ingredients completely
Tasukaji currently connects approximately 150,000 clients with about 5,000 professional housekeepers (Tasukaji-san). It is characterized by its affordable rates, starting from 1,500 yen per hour, and "meal preparation" is a major pillar of its services, alongside cleaning and organizing.
In the meal prep service, Tasukaji-san checks the ingredients in the client's refrigerator and transforms them into multiple dishes in about 3 hours. If meal prep is done once on a Monday, meals equivalent to one week can be prepared, frozen, and refrigerated, making it possible to simply warm them in the microwave on weekdays. All ingredients that tend to remain in the refrigerator, such as daikon radishes and cucumbers, can be used up completely. Users who have actually used the service have shared surprised comments like, "After Tasukaji-san left, the refrigerator that was so packed with ingredients became empty—not even a single leaf was left," which conveys the thoroughness of their "complete usage" firsthand. It is a service that simultaneously achieves both saving on food expenses and reducing food waste.
Furthermore, Tasukaji's accumulated "ingredient-utilization know-how" has also been published as a book, 'Tsukaikiri Recipe' (Complete-Use Recipes), widely disseminating dishes made from leftover household ingredients.
Tasukaji Research Institute changes society through household life log data
Beyond the scope of a housekeeping agency platform, Tasukaji also operates "Tasukaji Research Institute," a "home-based" data solution business for corporations that utilizes household life log data. They are collaborating with food manufacturers, daily necessities manufacturers, and home appliance manufacturers to promote initiatives aimed at achieving "zero food waste" and "sustainable living" across society.
Representative Comment
Sachiko Wada, Representative Director, Tasukaji Inc.:
Under the vision of "Changing the world from inside the home" and the mission of "Making housework zero globally," we are committed to solving social issues. Approximately half of food waste originates from households, and the solutions already exist within the home. Through Tasukaji's meal prep service, we hope to enable intelligent use of ingredients, saving on food expenses, and reducing food waste simultaneously in an era of rising prices. Just as people let go of their attachment to washing clothes in rivers when washing machines appeared, let's work together to solve household food-related challenges in this Reiwa era.
About Tasukaji Inc.'s two businesses
Housekeeping matching platform business "Tasukaji"
This is a sharing economy housekeeping matching service that connects housekeepers (Tasukaji-san) who utilize diverse housekeeping skills with people who want to request housework. Many women across Japan face difficulties in building their desired lives and careers due to the disproportionate burden of housework on women.