Itabashi Community Pantry Pilot to Address Local Challenges
Overview
The Consumer Affairs Agency and Itabashi City will run a pilot from October 30, 2026, through January 31, 2027, providing food free of charge from participating convenience stores in Itabashi to nearby residents who need food assistance. The food will be past its sales deadline but still before its use-by or best-before date. A dedicated app will send food notifications and allow users to reserve pickups. The app is available only to people registered with the “Machikado Food Pantry.”
Key points
- The Consumer Affairs Agency and Itabashi City are launching a pilot to reduce food waste and provide food assistance.
- The pilot runs from October 30, 2026, through January 31, 2027.
- The app is available only to people registered with the “Machikado Food Pantry.”
Overview
The Consumer Affairs Agency is partnering with Itabashi City to launch the pilot, commonly known as the “Itamachi Convenience Store Pantry,” on October 30, Food Waste Reduction Day.
The pilot covers participating convenience stores in Itabashi and food that is past its sales deadline but not past its use-by or best-before date. The sales deadline is set independently by each business to ensure there is enough time for food to be eaten safely and while it is still tasty.
Impact
The program provides eligible food free of charge to people nearby who need food assistance. It is conducted to reduce food waste and provide food assistance.
Details
When a participating store has food available to provide, it is listed in a dedicated smartphone app, and users are notified. People who want the food can reserve a pickup in the app and collect it at the store by the pickup deadline. The number of participating stores may change during the pilot.
The pilot works with Itabashi City’s “Machikado Food Pantry,” and app users are limited to people registered with the program. People who are not registered but wish to use the app must first consult either the Itabashi Life Support Center or the Itabashi Single-Parent Household Consultation Desk and register. The program has registration requirements; see the Itabashi City website for details.