Turning Environmental Blessings into Bubbles: Waste Fruit Bubbles and Food Recycling 2007

Turning Environmental Blessings into Bubbles: Waste Fruit Bubbles and Food Recycling 2007

In Japan in the mid-2000s, against the backdrop of the "Mottainai" movement, the reduction of food waste was beginning to attract attention as a social issue. The reality was that large quantities of fruits that could not be marketed due to strict standards for agricultural products were being discarded, and there was a need to make effective use of this waste. St. Gallen, a microbrewery in Atsugi City, Kanagawa Prefecture, responded to this situation by releasing a winter-only "Apple Cinnamon Ale" made with out-of-spec apples from Nagano Prefecture. This attempt to create new value by utilizing fruit that would otherwise be thrown away was groundbreaking in that it simultaneously realized the reduction of food loss and the recycling of local resources. The following year, the company also planned to develop a happoshu (sparkling wine) using Shonan Gold, oranges grown locally in Kanagawa Prefecture, which drew attention as a symbol of local production for local consumption. A
t the time, the term "SDGs" had not yet become widespread, but the combination of growing environmental awareness and the expanding craft beer market made this "product with a story" a major topic of conversation for consumers. This movement also led to the germination of the later food tech and upcycling industries, and played a role in spreading the social value of converting food waste into resources.