Survey on Food Loss: Approximately 74% of people purchase 'products nearing best-by/expiration dates' if discounted. Nearly 30% regularly buy them even without discounts.
MyVoiceCom Inc. conducted its third internet survey on food loss, revealing that approximately 74% of consumers buy products nearing their best-by or expiration dates if discounted. Even without discounts, nearly 30% regularly purchase such items. The survey, conducted from April 1-7, 2026, involved 11,049 respondents and highlighted that nearly 70% of people are concerned about food loss, with higher interest among women and older generations.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 1, 2026 at 00:10
- 🔍 Collected: April 30, 2026 at 15:32
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 30, 2026 at 16:17 (45 min after Collected)
MyVoiceCom Inc. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Shintaro Shimizu) conducted its third internet survey on 'Food Loss' from April 1-7, 2026.
We asked about interest in food loss, purchasing status of 'imperfect' products, and what respondents would like companies and producers to do, in free-form comments. We are pleased to announce the survey results.
[Survey Target] MyVoiceCom's survey monitors
[Survey Method] Internet survey (net research)
[Survey Period] April 1-7, 2026 [Number of Respondents] 11,049 people
[Detailed Survey Results] https://myel.myvoice.jp/products/detail/33312
◆ Interest in Food Loss
Nearly 70% of people are interested in food loss, combining those who are 'interested' and 'somewhat interested'.
The proportion is higher among women and older age groups, with nearly 80% for women in their 60s and mid-80% for women in their 70s. On the other hand, it is lower for men in their 10s-40s, at around 50% for each group.
◆ Reasons/Situations for Discarding Edible Food
We asked about the reasons/situations for discarding food or ingredients that were still edible/usable (multiple answers).
'Couldn't finish before the best-by/expiration date' accounted for 37.1%, 'spoiled due to improper storage' for 31.0%, and 'forgot I bought it, or forgot about it after opening/partially using' for 23.9%.
These items show a higher proportion among women.
◆ Conscious Actions Regarding Food Loss
Conscious actions taken regarding food loss (multiple answers) include: 'Don't buy anything unnecessary or too much' at 54.5%, 'Check best-by/expiration dates when buying to ensure I can finish it' at 39.0%, and 'Don't leave food on my plate' at 32.2%.
Many items show a higher proportion among women, with particularly large gender differences for 'Check stock before buying', 'Use ingredients/food without waste', and 'If there's leftover food, eat it by arranging it instead of discarding it'.
All of these tend to be higher among women and older age groups.
*For continuation of graphs and time-series trends, please see [Detailed Survey Results].
◆ Purchasing Status of 'Imperfect' Products
We asked about the types of 'imperfect' food/ingredients purchased.
If discounted, the items purchased (multiple answers) are: 'Products nearing best-by/expiration dates' at 74.4%, 'Products with no quality issues but are 'imperfect'' at 58.4%, and 'Foods past their best-by date but with no quality issues' at 30.1%.
'Products nearing best-by/expiration dates' and 'Products with no quality issues but are 'imperfect'' are higher among older women, while 'Foods past their best-by date but with no quality issues' is slightly higher among men in their 40s-50s.
Even without discounts, the items regularly purchased (multiple answers) are: 'Products with no quality issues but are 'imperfect'' at 36.1%, 'Products nearing best-by/expiration dates' at 29.7%, and 'Foods past their best-by date but with no quality issues' at 9.9%.
'Products with no quality issues but are 'imperfect'' shows a higher proportion among women and older age groups, exceeding 50% for women in their 70s. 'None of the above' is over 40%, with a higher proportion among men in their 10s-50s.
*For time-series trends, please see [Detailed Survey Results].
<< Respondent Comments >>
☆ What respondents would like companies and producers to do regarding food loss (Total 3,777 comments)
No need for best-by dates. Only expiration dates are fine. (Male, 36 years old)
I'd like JAs (Japan Agricultural Cooperatives) to promote services that offer oddly shaped products (vegetables and fruits) at lower prices. Also for children's food education. (Male, 49 years old)
Food loss online supermarkets are difficult for single people to buy a lot from, and if I try to buy, shipping costs are high, so it's hard to buy. I wish they would do something about lowering shipping costs or the free shipping threshold. (Female, 29 years old)
I'd like souvenirs like tsukudani and pickles, which are side dishes for rice, to be made in smaller portions. I usually can't finish them and they go to waste. (Female, 36 years old)
I hear that large quantities of products are made for each event and then discarded, so I wish they wouldn't make too much.
We asked about interest in food loss, purchasing status of 'imperfect' products, and what respondents would like companies and producers to do, in free-form comments. We are pleased to announce the survey results.
[Survey Target] MyVoiceCom's survey monitors
[Survey Method] Internet survey (net research)
[Survey Period] April 1-7, 2026 [Number of Respondents] 11,049 people
[Detailed Survey Results] https://myel.myvoice.jp/products/detail/33312
◆ Interest in Food Loss
Nearly 70% of people are interested in food loss, combining those who are 'interested' and 'somewhat interested'.
The proportion is higher among women and older age groups, with nearly 80% for women in their 60s and mid-80% for women in their 70s. On the other hand, it is lower for men in their 10s-40s, at around 50% for each group.
◆ Reasons/Situations for Discarding Edible Food
We asked about the reasons/situations for discarding food or ingredients that were still edible/usable (multiple answers).
'Couldn't finish before the best-by/expiration date' accounted for 37.1%, 'spoiled due to improper storage' for 31.0%, and 'forgot I bought it, or forgot about it after opening/partially using' for 23.9%.
These items show a higher proportion among women.
◆ Conscious Actions Regarding Food Loss
Conscious actions taken regarding food loss (multiple answers) include: 'Don't buy anything unnecessary or too much' at 54.5%, 'Check best-by/expiration dates when buying to ensure I can finish it' at 39.0%, and 'Don't leave food on my plate' at 32.2%.
Many items show a higher proportion among women, with particularly large gender differences for 'Check stock before buying', 'Use ingredients/food without waste', and 'If there's leftover food, eat it by arranging it instead of discarding it'.
All of these tend to be higher among women and older age groups.
*For continuation of graphs and time-series trends, please see [Detailed Survey Results].
◆ Purchasing Status of 'Imperfect' Products
We asked about the types of 'imperfect' food/ingredients purchased.
If discounted, the items purchased (multiple answers) are: 'Products nearing best-by/expiration dates' at 74.4%, 'Products with no quality issues but are 'imperfect'' at 58.4%, and 'Foods past their best-by date but with no quality issues' at 30.1%.
'Products nearing best-by/expiration dates' and 'Products with no quality issues but are 'imperfect'' are higher among older women, while 'Foods past their best-by date but with no quality issues' is slightly higher among men in their 40s-50s.
Even without discounts, the items regularly purchased (multiple answers) are: 'Products with no quality issues but are 'imperfect'' at 36.1%, 'Products nearing best-by/expiration dates' at 29.7%, and 'Foods past their best-by date but with no quality issues' at 9.9%.
'Products with no quality issues but are 'imperfect'' shows a higher proportion among women and older age groups, exceeding 50% for women in their 70s. 'None of the above' is over 40%, with a higher proportion among men in their 10s-50s.
*For time-series trends, please see [Detailed Survey Results].
<< Respondent Comments >>
☆ What respondents would like companies and producers to do regarding food loss (Total 3,777 comments)
No need for best-by dates. Only expiration dates are fine. (Male, 36 years old)
I'd like JAs (Japan Agricultural Cooperatives) to promote services that offer oddly shaped products (vegetables and fruits) at lower prices. Also for children's food education. (Male, 49 years old)
Food loss online supermarkets are difficult for single people to buy a lot from, and if I try to buy, shipping costs are high, so it's hard to buy. I wish they would do something about lowering shipping costs or the free shipping threshold. (Female, 29 years old)
I'd like souvenirs like tsukudani and pickles, which are side dishes for rice, to be made in smaller portions. I usually can't finish them and they go to waste. (Female, 36 years old)
I hear that large quantities of products are made for each event and then discarded, so I wish they wouldn't make too much.