Due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection, food waste has become a serious problem in Japan.

On February 25th, global French bakery chain PAUL (operated in Japan by Shikishima Baking Co., Ltd.) announced a collaborative campaign with two companies interested in reducing food waste: HenoHeno, which provides frozen fruits, and TABETE, a food sharing service allowing customers to "rescue" surplus or unpurchased items from shops and vendors.

The three companies have teamed up to develop more than 10 original items that will help you reduce food waste just by purchasing them.

The first item in the lineup is the "Setouchi Lemon Pie" made with Setouchi lemons, which have been on sale since February 25th.

These delicious pies make use of so-called "imperfect produce," fruits that are grown the same way and taste the same as other fruits, but are not sold because they don't meet size standards or have small imperfections.

The Setouchi Lemon Pie is baked with honey-soaked lemons, custard cream, and almond cream for an authentic French taste.

Just by eating baked goods made from delicious fruits that would otherwise have "nowhere to go," you can contribute to the reduction of food waste, which is a great initiative.

These special baked goods using imperfect fruits will be available at Japanese PAUL stores nationwide and change on a monthly basis.

Later this month, the featured fruit will be Amanatsu 甘夏, a popular hybrid citrus fruit grown in Japan with a sweet and refreshing taste.

Here is the schedule for this year:

Products are subject to change depending on the harvest conditions of the fruits.

At the time of writing, these pies are sold at most PAUL locations but they will only be available while supplies last, so if you're interested, head to your local PAUL bakery.