(しょくひんろす)

food loss, food waste

(へらす)

to reduce; to decrease

(とりくみ)

efforts, initiatives

(ひろがる)

to spread

(にほん)

Japan

(まだ)

still; yet

(たべる)

to eat

(すてる)

to throw away; to discard

(しょくひん)

food products, foodstuffs

(もんだい)

problem

(よぶ)

to call

(ねんかん)

period of ~ years

(すうひゃくまん)

several million

(とん)

ton (unit)

(のぼる)

to reach, to amount to

(いう)

to say

(かいけつ)

solution, resolution

(さまざま)

various

(すすめる)

to advance; to move forward

(すーぱー)

supermarket

(しょうみきげん)

best-before date

(ちかい)

near / close

(しょうひん)

goods; merchandise; product

(やすい)

cheap / inexpensive

(うる)

to sell

(れすとらん)

restaurant

(きゃく)

Customer; guest

(のこす)

to leave behind, to leave uneaten

(りょうり)

cuisine, cooking

(りょう)

Quantity; amount; volume

(えらぶ)

To choose; to select

(せんもんか)

expert, specialist

(ひとりひとり)

each person, one by one

(いしき)

consciousness, awareness

(かえる)

to change

(たいせつ)

important

(はなす)

to speak, talk

(かう)

to buy

(のこる)

to remain / to stay behind

(じょうず)

skillful, well

(つかう)

to use

(だいいっぽ)

first step

even though / despite ~

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

potential form (can do)

The potential form shows the food 'can be eaten' (食べられる) — it is still edible.

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.

it is said that ~

Passive form expressing common knowledge or reputation. It is said that aquaculture of nodoguro is difficult.

because of ~ / for the sake of ~

ため after a noun or plain form indicates reason or purpose. Used twice: once for 'because of bear worries' and once for 'for the children's safety'.

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

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

so that ~

Indicates a goal or desired outcome. Here: so that trainees reach the Specified Skilled Worker level.

to make sure that, to ensure that

Expresses the goal of bringing about a certain state or preventing something. Formed with verb plain form + ようにする. Often used to describe efforts to ensure or prevent something.

nominalizer (the act of ~)

Turns verbs into nouns — changing one's awareness (意識を変えること), not over-buying (買いすぎないこと), and using leftovers well (使うこと).

too much / excessively ~

Indicates excess. Used to describe the government's methods being too harsh (厳しすぎる) and the military deployment being excessive (やりすぎ).

食品ロスを減らす取り組みが広がる

Efforts to reduce food loss are spreading

日本では、まだ食べられるのに捨てられてしまう食品が問題になっています。

In Japan, food that is thrown away even though it can still be eaten has become a problem.

これは「食品ロス」と呼ばれ、年間で数百万トンにのぼると言われています。

This is called "food loss," and it is said to amount to several million tons per year.

この問題を解決するため、さまざまな取り組みが進められています。

To solve this problem, various efforts are being carried out.

あるスーパーでは、賞味期限が近い商品を安く売っています。

At one supermarket, products whose best-before date is approaching are sold at low prices.

また、レストランでは、客が食べ残さないように料理の量を選べるようにしています。

Also, at restaurants, customers are allowed to choose the portion size so they don't leave food uneaten.

専門家は「一人一人が意識を変えることが大切だ」と話しています。

Experts say, "It is important for each individual to change their awareness."

買いすぎないことや、残った料理を上手に使うことが、食品ロスを減らす第一歩になります。

Not buying too much and making good use of leftover food are the first steps to reducing food loss.