Sold 'Special' Bread at 30% Discount... Japanese Subway Station Vending Machines Experience 'Sold-Out Streak'

Citizens Enthralled by Bread Vending Machine at Kannai Station, Yokohama
Discounted Bread Before Disposal... Food Waste Reduced by 1.2 Tons Annually

A special 'bread vending machine' has been installed at a subway station in Japan, attracting attention. Instead of discarding bread close to its expiration date, the idea is to sell it at a discount in the subway station. On the 25th, the Japanese media Kanagawa Shimbun reported, "Since the 18th of last month, a vending machine selling bread nearing its expiration date has been installed at Kannai Station in Yokohama City," adding, "It is operated by Yokohama City in collaboration with local bakeries and vending machine companies, and was installed in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)."

Yokohama citizens using a bread vending machine. [Image source=Captured from X (formerly Twitter)]

The subway station's 'bread vending machine' originated from the concerns of a local bakery that had too much bread being discarded daily. The bakery closes one hour earlier on weekdays and fills the vending machine with leftover bread such as sliced bread and salt bread until 8 p.m. These breads are products made within 48 hours, and if not sold that day, they were usually discarded at the store. The owner said, "In summer, we throw away about two 75L garbage bags of bread per day," adding, "I hope this helps reduce food waste and allows us to find a better work-life balance by leaving work an hour earlier."

Products not sold in the vending machine are discarded the next day when new bread is restocked, but in reality, this rarely happens. The breads are sold at prices of 300 yen, 500 yen, 600 yen, and 1000 yen, which is about 30% cheaper than in the store, making them very popular in the local community and often selling out daily. Citizens wanting to buy bread line up in front of the vending machine an hour in advance. They responded, "It's a really good idea. I tried it as a test and it was really delicious," and "I usually buy at the store, but it's good because it's discounted and the taste doesn't change."

The bakery and Yokohama City were surprised by the support from citizens. The bakery owner said, "I'm happy it sells well," but also added, "It's unexpected that bread close to expiration is more popular than anticipated." The city said the 'bread vending machine' is "an idea that perfectly fits the Sustainable Development Goals," and expects it to reduce food waste by 1.2 tons annually. Currently, the vending machine only accepts cash payments, but other payment methods are planned to be introduced later.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.