In response to those who decry wastefulness, convenience stores are stepping up efforts to cut down on the disposal of unsold "bento" boxed lunches, which usually have a shelf life of only a few hours.
Boxed lunches are bread-and-butter goods for many stores, which have made a lot of money by offering a wide array of bento at any time of day.
However, they have been facing complaints about having to discard unsold boxed meals after their expiration. Also, some bento are trashed before their expiration when they are pulled from shelves to make room for fresher food shipments.