Watami's 25 Restaurant Branches Obtain Certification for "Recycling Business Plan (Food Recycling Loop)" – Towards a Society that Doesn't Waste Food
Watami has obtained ministerial certification for its "Recycling Business Plan (Food Recycling Loop)" under the Food Recycling Law. 25 of its restaurant branches will recycle food waste into chicken feed, and the resulting eggs (Re-eggs) will be used and served back in the restaurants. This initiative aims to reduce food loss and contribute to a circular economy.
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- 📰 Published: April 30, 2026 at 23:19
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Watami Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Ota-ku, Tokyo; hereinafter "Watami") announced today, April 13, 2026, that it has obtained ministerial certification for its "Recycling Business Plan (Food Recycling Loop)" under the Food Recycling Law.
This initiative, starting in fiscal year 2024, is a recycling loop that recycles food waste discharged from restaurants into chicken feed, and then offers the produced eggs (Re-eggs) back to customers. By using Re-eggs as ingredients in existing menu items at some stores and selling them to customers, food waste is circulated as a resource instead of being incinerated as combustible garbage. Going forward, Watami will also explore collaborations with other companies to expand this initiative, thereby circulating food as a resource and contributing to a society that does not waste food.
■ What is a Food Recycling Loop (Recycling Business Plan)?
The "Food Recycling Loop (Recycling Business Plan)" implemented this time involves Watami, a food-related business operator, collecting food waste from its stores as food circular resources. These resources are then used by a recycling business operator to manufacture feed, which is then processed into compound feed by a compound feed manufacturer. This compound feed is fed to chickens by agricultural producers, and the produced eggs are purchased back and offered to customers. This system has obtained certification from the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Minister of the Environment, and additionally, for the restaurant industry, from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare. Obtaining this certification allows for special provisions under the Waste Management Act, enabling wide-area collection and transportation of food circular resources (general waste), which further promotes recycling.
In this initiative, food waste such as cooking scraps and leftovers discharged from some stores in the Kanto region is treated as a resource. Feed manufactured at the feed conversion center of Alpha Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo), a recycling business operator, is then processed into compound feed by Feed One Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture). This compound feed is fed to chickens at the poultry farm of Takamura Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kurobe City, Toyama Prefecture), an agricultural producer. The produced eggs are then delivered to stores through Yachiyo Poultry Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture) and offered back to customers.
Image of the Food Recycling Loop
Watami is implementing this initiative as part of its food waste reduction efforts. First, through communication with customers, Watami aims to eliminate food loss by encouraging them to finish their meals or take leftovers home. Any remaining food loss or food residue is weighed, its causes are investigated, and efforts are made to suppress it while also recycling it into feed. Through these activities, Watami contributes to SDGs 12.3 (halving per capita food waste), 12.5 (significantly reducing waste generation by 2030 through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse of waste), and 12.8 (sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature).
【Target Products】
Products using chicken eggs, such as tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet) and tsukune (chicken meatballs) with egg yolk.
【Number of Stores Implementing Recycling】25 stores
【Mirai Sakaba】JR Shin-Okubo Ekimae Store, Ginza 5-chome Store, Mukogaoka Yuen Minami-guchi Store, Shinbashi Ginza-guchi Guard-shita Store, Shinjuku Higashi-guchi Store, Aoyama Gaien-mae Store, Ikebukuro Nishiguchi Romance-dori Store
【Sandaime Torimero】Gaien-mae Stadium-dori Store, Kinshicho Minami-guchi Ekimae Store, Sasazuka Store, Shinbashi Ginza-guchi Guard-shita Store, Kanda Nishi-guchi Ekimae Store, Akabane Higashi-guchi Ekimae Store, Otorii Ekimae Store
【Watami no Kodawari Noren-gai】Oimachi Higashi-guchi Ekimae Store
【Sumishun】Izakaya Watami
【Yakiniku no Watami】Kameari Ekimae Store, Kinshicho Minami-guchi Ekimae Store, Otorii Ekimae Store, Ikebukuro Higashi-guchi Store
【Kamimura Bokujo】Keikyu Kamata Daiichi Keihin Side Road Store
【Sushi no Wa】Kinshicho Minami-guchi Ekimae Store, Asakusa Tawaracho Honten
【bb.q OLIVE CHICKEN caf'e】Otorii Store
【SUBWAY】Otorii Store
■ Watami Co., Ltd.
【Address】 1-1-3 Haneda, Ota-ku, Tokyo
【Representative】 Miki Watanabe, Chairman and President CEO
【Established】 May 1986
【Business Activities】 Domestic and international restaurant businesses, home meal delivery services, agriculture, environmental businesses, human resource services
【Homepage URL】 https://www.watami.co.jp
This initiative, starting in fiscal year 2024, is a recycling loop that recycles food waste discharged from restaurants into chicken feed, and then offers the produced eggs (Re-eggs) back to customers. By using Re-eggs as ingredients in existing menu items at some stores and selling them to customers, food waste is circulated as a resource instead of being incinerated as combustible garbage. Going forward, Watami will also explore collaborations with other companies to expand this initiative, thereby circulating food as a resource and contributing to a society that does not waste food.
■ What is a Food Recycling Loop (Recycling Business Plan)?
The "Food Recycling Loop (Recycling Business Plan)" implemented this time involves Watami, a food-related business operator, collecting food waste from its stores as food circular resources. These resources are then used by a recycling business operator to manufacture feed, which is then processed into compound feed by a compound feed manufacturer. This compound feed is fed to chickens by agricultural producers, and the produced eggs are purchased back and offered to customers. This system has obtained certification from the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Minister of the Environment, and additionally, for the restaurant industry, from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare. Obtaining this certification allows for special provisions under the Waste Management Act, enabling wide-area collection and transportation of food circular resources (general waste), which further promotes recycling.
In this initiative, food waste such as cooking scraps and leftovers discharged from some stores in the Kanto region is treated as a resource. Feed manufactured at the feed conversion center of Alpha Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo), a recycling business operator, is then processed into compound feed by Feed One Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture). This compound feed is fed to chickens at the poultry farm of Takamura Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kurobe City, Toyama Prefecture), an agricultural producer. The produced eggs are then delivered to stores through Yachiyo Poultry Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture) and offered back to customers.
Image of the Food Recycling Loop
Watami is implementing this initiative as part of its food waste reduction efforts. First, through communication with customers, Watami aims to eliminate food loss by encouraging them to finish their meals or take leftovers home. Any remaining food loss or food residue is weighed, its causes are investigated, and efforts are made to suppress it while also recycling it into feed. Through these activities, Watami contributes to SDGs 12.3 (halving per capita food waste), 12.5 (significantly reducing waste generation by 2030 through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse of waste), and 12.8 (sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature).
【Target Products】
Products using chicken eggs, such as tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet) and tsukune (chicken meatballs) with egg yolk.
【Number of Stores Implementing Recycling】25 stores
【Mirai Sakaba】JR Shin-Okubo Ekimae Store, Ginza 5-chome Store, Mukogaoka Yuen Minami-guchi Store, Shinbashi Ginza-guchi Guard-shita Store, Shinjuku Higashi-guchi Store, Aoyama Gaien-mae Store, Ikebukuro Nishiguchi Romance-dori Store
【Sandaime Torimero】Gaien-mae Stadium-dori Store, Kinshicho Minami-guchi Ekimae Store, Sasazuka Store, Shinbashi Ginza-guchi Guard-shita Store, Kanda Nishi-guchi Ekimae Store, Akabane Higashi-guchi Ekimae Store, Otorii Ekimae Store
【Watami no Kodawari Noren-gai】Oimachi Higashi-guchi Ekimae Store
【Sumishun】Izakaya Watami
【Yakiniku no Watami】Kameari Ekimae Store, Kinshicho Minami-guchi Ekimae Store, Otorii Ekimae Store, Ikebukuro Higashi-guchi Store
【Kamimura Bokujo】Keikyu Kamata Daiichi Keihin Side Road Store
【Sushi no Wa】Kinshicho Minami-guchi Ekimae Store, Asakusa Tawaracho Honten
【bb.q OLIVE CHICKEN caf'e】Otorii Store
【SUBWAY】Otorii Store
■ Watami Co., Ltd.
【Address】 1-1-3 Haneda, Ota-ku, Tokyo
【Representative】 Miki Watanabe, Chairman and President CEO
【Established】 May 1986
【Business Activities】 Domestic and international restaurant businesses, home meal delivery services, agriculture, environmental businesses, human resource services
【Homepage URL】 https://www.watami.co.jp