“rebake”: Discover Bakeries Across Japan while Saving Unsold Bread

In the world of bread, where the phrase “freshly baked” holds strong appeal, food waste has become a serious issue. Many bakeries throw away bread that didn’t sell the day it was baked, even though it’s still perfectly good to eat. What’s more, many shops bake more than necessary just to make their displays look more appealing.

“On average, one out of every ten loaves ends up being thrown away. Because of the nature of bread, it’s hard to completely eliminate waste. Even for large retail chains, the lowest waste rate is still around four percent,” explains Saito, who launched “rebake.” While studying organic farming in graduate school, Saito began thinking about sustainable consumption and exploring ways to address waste. The turning point came from something his older sister, who works at a bakery, told him.

“She said that every morning at 4 a.m., the first thing she had to do was throw away bread. I thought, if we could deliver that bread to someone who would eat it, consumers could help reduce food waste just by enjoying bread. I wanted to create a simple, meaningful initiative like that.”

That’s how “rebake” got started, with a group of like-minded people. To spread awareness about the issue of bread waste, they even created a free paper publication. Over the past seven years, they’ve continued to grow the service.

“rebake” is a service that takes unsold bread, freezes them, and delivers them to your home. Since bakeries don’t always know when they’ll have unsold stock, shipments are sent out irregularly once a certain amount of bread has been collected. Users can browse and choose from bakeries across Japan that are listed on the platform. Once the bread arrives, simply let it thaw at room temperature and warm it in a toaster to enjoy it as if it were freshly baked.

“Many of the participating bakeries sell their products online exclusively through ‘rebake,’ so it’s a great way to try bread from places that are far away or that you’ve always wanted to visit but haven’t had the chance to. We’ve received a lot of positive feedback. Some customers are true bread lovers, even sharing their experiences on blogs,” says Saito.

Bakers are, in a sense, highly skilled artisans. At first, many were hesitant to join the service, reluctant to sell their bread frozen. But over time, factors like the growing awareness of the SDGs and the impact of the pandemic helped shift the mindset within the industry. As more people learned that frozen bread could still taste great, the number of participating bakeries grew. Today, over 1,500 bakeries—roughly 15% of all bakeries in Japan—are registered with “rebake,” and the number of inquiries from bakeries continues to rise.

“Most of our partner bakeries are independently owned. The more particular a shop is about quality, the more they want people to enjoy their bread fresh, and many were uncomfortable with the idea of selling bread that didn’t sell the same day. But as the idea of reducing food waste through the SDGs became more widespread, I think that attitude started to shift. During the pandemic, large retailers also faced major surpluses and started reaching out to us. As a result, more people became aware of ‘rebake.’ Trade publications even started running features on what to do with surplus bread, and one of Japan’s major flour producers launched a wheat flour specifically for frozen bread. Over these past seven years, we’ve really seen the industry change.”

Of course, not all types of bread are suitable for freezing. To maintain quality, every product goes through a test freeze before being offered through the service. Although this adds extra work for the bakeries in terms of freezing and shipping, many have said it’s been worth it, not only because they can now bake without worrying about waste, but also because it’s a relief to no longer have to throw away bread they worked hard to make.

With demand in the baking industry continuing to grow, Saito and his team have started testing a new service: directly picking up unsold food from shops.

“We’re currently running a trial in select regions, but the idea is to let users find surplus food at local shops and pick it up in person. It’s not just bakeries—we’ve also included Western and Japanese confectioners. We hope people will enjoy trying out treats from shops they’ve been curious about while also helping to reduce food waste.”

“rebake” offers a simple and enjoyable way to tackle food waste. Why not join the movement?