As the government releases more of its stockpiled rice to ease a supply crunch and bring down prices, concerns are mounting over the quality and taste of the older harvests.
“I’m worried about the taste. If elderly customers think the rice is bad and stop eating it, it could harm their health,” said Hidehisa Shinohara, 47, who owns a 78-year-old rice shop in Tokyo’s Kita Ward.
While stockpiled rice from the 2022 harvest has been distributed to large supermarket chains, the current focus on the older batch from 2021 has sparked hesitation among smaller, regional retailers.
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