社会｜賞品目当ての食品廃棄問題 / Society | The Issue of Food Waste for the Sake of Prizes

Summary

Recently, many people have been buying large quantities of food in order to get popular character prizes from franchises like Pokémon, Kamen Rider, and Demon Slayer, leading to the disposal of the actual food.

This phenomenon has been observed for over 50 years and has become a significant factor contributing to food waste. While McDonald’s has taken a stance against the neglect and disposal of food, the problem remains unresolved.

Dialogue

This dialogue is fictional and based on the article.

Chako: Really!? Is that kind of thing actually happening!?
Log: Yeah, it seems that recently people have been buying a ton of food just to get popular character merchandise, and then they end up throwing it all away.
Chako: Why would they do that? It’s such a waste of food!
Log: Exactly, even though food waste is a big issue, people still throw it away just because they want the prizes. Navi, do you have anything to add?
Navi: This phenomenon has been going on for over 50 years, and it’s recognized as a serious social problem. Consumer behavior aimed at getting prizes is believed to contribute to food waste.

Admin’s Note

After reading this article, I was reminded of how serious the issue of food waste driven by the desire for prizes really is. It’s surprising to learn that the practice of buying food just to get popular character merchandise and ultimately throwing it away has been going on for over half a century. It’s important for companies like McDonald’s to take a stand against allowing food waste, but consumers also need to be aware of this issue and change their behavior. I hope we can think together about ways to reduce food waste.