There seem to be both macro and micro perspectives when it comes to solutions to food problems. Let’s start by addressing this issue from a micro perspective. Food waste refers to food that is still edible but is discarded. A survey by the Ministry of the Environment estimates that food waste in Japan will be approximately 4.64 million tons in 2023. Some people believe that reducing food waste can also help lower food costs. Food waste can be caused by three factors: excessive removal, leftovers, and direct disposal. Excessive removal refers to discarding edible parts of vegetables, such as by over-peeling them. With a little ingenuity, food can still be eaten. Food waste can also be reduced with ingenuity. “You can reduce food waste by sticking to the number of people and amounts specified in the recipe, and making only an amount that can be eaten. The final direct waste issue is often throwing away ingredients that have passed their expiration date and leftover food that you couldn’t use up. The best way to prevent this direct waste is to regularly check expiration dates.
To prevent food waste, you should also be careful not to buy too much food. It’s a good idea to get into the habit of checking the contents of your refrigerator before going shopping. However, this is something that most people find difficult to do. Recently, refrigerators that use artificial intelligence (AI) to support such ordinary people are becoming more common. These are excellent devices that can take pictures of each compartment of the refrigerator, and automatically create a list of ingredients in stock from the image of the vegetable compartment. Panasonic’s AI-enabled refrigerator allows users to check the contents of their refrigerator via a smartphone app even when they’re away from home. It even suggests recipes and meals that prioritize leftover ingredients. Using advanced refrigerators is one way to reduce food waste at home. We should value food and live a healthy, eco-friendly lifestyle.
Eating a balanced diet slows aging and extends healthy lifespan. Resident health requires the cooperation of not only governments and local governments, but also private companies. The use of home appliances is one possible solution. Sharp released “AIoT appliances” in 2016, combining AI and IoT. This unique electric cooking pot offers over 400 recipes. Users download their favorite recipes to the device and the appliance automatically cooks them. Analysis of cooking data reveals household consumption trends. The user’s age, gender, and usage history, including the type and frequency of cooking, are stored in the cloud. I can imagine AI suggesting menus based on the user’s preferred ingredients and family structure. By utilizing human wisdom and AI, it may become possible to not only make food delicious, but also maintain and improve health.
