The Japanese retail giant Aeon Co. announced on May 30, 2008, that it started sales of pork from pigs raised on recycled foods after receiving an approval by Japanese ministries for its new recycling project in line with the Amended Food Recycling Law. The project is based on a recycling-oriented model, the Closed-Loop Recycling System.

Aeon is the first retailer to gain approval for this recycling project after the enforcement of the Amended Food Recycling Law in December 2007. The certification of the recycling project plan enables companies to collect waste foods beyond the framework of the local government. Costs for recycling waste foods are twice as high as those for incineration; however, efficient collection has decreased the costs to comparable levels as incineration. Making feed from waste foods also reduces carbon dioxide emissions when compare with incineration.

The certified Recycling Loop in Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, transports collected unsold foods from 25 shops in the prefecture and uses it to make liquid fodder. Pork fed on this liquid fodder is sold at 55 shops in the Kanto region as of June 2008. Aeon aims to expand the system to establish a nationwide Recycling System.


- Supermarket Aeon Starts Charging for Plastic Shopping Bags in Kyoto (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/db/1678-e
- Aeon Introduces MSC-Labeled Seafood at 660 Stores (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/db/1643-e

Posted: 2008/07/28 10:55:05 AM

TAG Food/Water , Material reduction , Non-manufacturing industry