Japan thinks inside the box to stop hunger
Ms. Fumiko Kiyonaga is in charge of Caritas Japan’s “One Human Family, Food for All” campaign. Here, she explains why Caritas Japan decided to focus on food waste as an important campaign issue.
Caritas Japan’s “Mottainai-ner” has a place for folding chopsticks on the top and collapses on the bottom. Its name refers to a Japanese term meaning “regret for waste.”
Can you tell me about this plastic box and what it’s for?
It’s a folding type of plastic container. The top is plastic and the bottom is silicone. We call it a “Mottainai-ner”. It’s a doggie bag or lunch box. Written on it is the campaign slogan: “One Human Family, Food for All.”
We sell these containers at Food for All events and in churches.
When coming up with “Food for All” campaign ideas for Japan, why did you decide on the container?
When we considered campaign items, we thought they should be practical. By using this container, we not only take home leftover food, but also become aware of wasting food, and of the globally-skewed distribution of food.
Actually, using doggie bags is seldom seen in Japan. But we decided to prepare containers with the idea of “Let’s not waste food–keep leftovers using this container.”
Why did Caritas Japan decide to make food waste a big part of its campaign?
Japan imports a lot of food, and we throw away a lot—around 18 million tons. The rate of food wastage of Japan is really high. The food we throw out easily exceeds the 6 million tons of food aid give to hungry people by the World Food Program.
Many vegetables and fruits are also thrown out in the retail stage. Often the reason is that the size or appearance doesn’t suit the standard. If there is a printing mistake or damage to the packaging, or if the food expiration date is near, it often would go to the garbage, even if we could eat it.
There’s also a marketing effort, with intense levels of advertisement, encouraging consumers to purchase more than they need.
Can you tell me more about the container’s name?
“Mottainai” is a Japanese term conveying a sense of regret concerning waste. Nobel Peace Prize recipient Wangari Maathai introduced the word “mottainai” as a slogan for environmental protection.
“Mottainai-ner” is a term coined by Caritas Japan, combining the Japanese words for “Mottainai” and “container.” It also means a person who acts in the spirit of Mottainai.
What do you hope people will realize when using the containers?
In Japan, there is poverty, but there aren’t many starving children. Everyone thinks that is far away.
By using this container, we become more conscious of food waste and the unequal distribution of food in the world. Plus, we’re asking many people to support our projects using the money they save from cutting down their food expenses. Proceeds from this container support two projects in Africa concerning food security, agriculture and so on.
We are also giving Pope Francis’s message to those who wish to have this container.
Japan is also making changes. Nowadays, foods with damaged packaging or other cosmetic problems are distributed to food banks in Japan to avoid food wastage and help people.
Can you tell me about the programmes in Africa funded by this Caritas Japan initiative?
A beneficiary in Uganda shows his green pepper harvest.
Some of the money we raise from the containers will go to Uganda, where we are helping 3000 people in three dioceses; Fort Portal, Mbarara and Kabale. We’re strengthening local agriculture in sustainable way, such as promoting organic fertilizer instead of chemical ones.
105 yen (about one US dollar) out of 600 yen, which is the Mottainai-ner’s price, goes to this Caritas Uganda programme.
Other proceeds will help a Climate Change Adaption project in Kenya. For people lacking water in the dry season due to climate change, this project helps with access to water, such as making a dam. There’s also agricultural training and we’ll allocate some of the Mottainai-ner money to seeds.
In both countries, farmers can buy, for example, 25g of seeds (beet, carrot, tomato, eggplant etc.) to harvest 40 to 50 kg of them.
What has the reaction to the containers been?
I got a letter from a lady who got the food container, saying thank you. She said it’s a good chance to remember people who are starving.
It helps Japanese participants feel more close to vulnerable people in Uganda and Kenya while sharing their difficulties together as a human family. We want to link our donors here and our beneficiaries abroad more clearly. It’s about sharing God’s love.
Interview by Laura Sheahen