(たべもの)

food

(すてる)

to throw away; to discard

(くふう)

ingenuity; device; scheme

(ひろがる)

to spread

(まだ)

still; yet

(たべる)

to eat

(しょくひんロス)

food loss; food waste

(よぶ)

to call

(にほん)

Japan

(まいとし)

every year

(たくさん)

a lot / many

(でる)

to come out; to occur

(くに)

country; the government

(かいしゃ)

company

(りょう)

Quantity; amount; volume

(へらす)

to reduce; to decrease

(さいきん)

recently

(みせ)

shop, store

(うれのこる)

to remain unsold

(べんとう)

boxed lunch; bento

(ぱん)

bread

(やすい)

cheap / inexpensive

(ねだん)

price

(かう)

to buy

(あぷり)

app / application

(にんき)

popularity

(りようしゃ)

user

(すまーとふぉん)

smartphone

(ちかい)

near / close

(さがす)

to search for; to look for

(へいてん)

closing time; shop closing

(まえ)

before, previous

(うけとる)

to receive; to accept

(いく)

to go

(ぶん)

portion; share; amount

(へる)

to decrease / to diminish

(きゃく)

Customer; guest

(りょうほう)

both

(よい)

good

(ほうほう)

method; way

(いう)

to say

(かてい)

household; home; family

(ある)

a certain (some)

(かいもの)

shopping

(れいぞうこ)

refrigerator

(なか)

inside

(たしかめる)

to make sure; to confirm

(きげん)

time limit, deadline, expiry date

(もの)

thing

(つかう)

to use

(むだ)

waste; futility

(すくない)

few, scarce

(ちいさい)

small

(つづける)

to continue

(おおきい)

big; large

(こうか)

effect

even though / despite ~

Expresses contrast or unexpected result. Iran says they were attacked even though they are not at war.

completely / finish ~ing (often regretful)

Expresses completion, often with regret or unexpectedness. Here the rice sold out quickly.

is called ～

Passive form of 呼ぶ (to call); used to state what someone/something is called.

is doing, has been doing (ongoing state/action)

Expresses a continuing action or resulting state. Formed with て-form + いる/います. Can describe an action in progress or a state that continues from a past change.

and (non-exhaustive list)

や lists representative examples — Shikoku and Kyushu among other regions (四国や九州).

try to ~; be about to ~

Expresses an attempt/intention. Used to say China 'was about to / trying to' tighten rare earth exports.

to go to ~

Place + に + 行く indicates going to a destination. に marks the goal or direction of movement.

because ~ / since ~

Causal connector. Because JA is buying at higher prices, store prices will also rise.

for ~ / from the perspective of ~

Indicates a point of view or perspective. Used twice here for 'the company' and 'the Vietnamese people'.

quotative particle

Marks the content of what someone said or reported. Used with 言う here.

doing things like ~ and ~

Lists representative actions among several. Implies there are other actions too. Used twice in this article.

from (starting point)

Indicates the origin or source. 建物の中から means 'from inside the building'.

to become (い-adjective)

Expresses a change of state for い-adjectives. Drop the final い and add くなる. Indicates something has changed or will change to a new state.

Even ~; also at ~

Particle でも after a noun means 'even' or 'also at.' 首相官邸の庭でも means 'even at the Prime Minister's residence garden.'

conditional: if ~

Ba-form conditional expressing 'if ~ then ~'.

食べ物を捨てない工夫が広がる

Ideas for not throwing food away are spreading

まだ食べられるのに捨てられてしまう食べ物は「食品ロス」と呼ばれています。

Food that ends up being thrown away even though it is still edible is called "food loss".

日本では毎年、たくさんの食品ロスが出ています。

In Japan, a large amount of food loss is produced every year.

国や会社は、この量を減らそうとしています。

The government and companies are trying to reduce this amount.

最近は、店で売れ残った弁当やパンを安い値段で買えるアプリが人気です。

Recently, apps that let you buy unsold bento and bread from shops at low prices have become popular.

利用者はスマートフォンで近くの店を探して、閉店の前に受け取りに行きます。

Users search for nearby shops on their smartphones and go to pick the food up before closing time.

店は捨てる分が減り、客は安く買えるので、両方にとって良い方法だと言われています。

Shops throw away less and customers buy cheaply, so it is said to be a good arrangement for both sides.

家庭でできることもあります。

There are also things that can be done at home.

買い物の前に冷蔵庫の中を確かめたり、期限が近い物から使ったりすると、むだが少なくなります。

If you check inside the fridge before shopping and use up items nearest their expiry date first, there is less waste.

小さな工夫でも、続ければ大きな効果があります。

Even small efforts have a big effect if you keep them up.