Asahi Soft Drinks, Ito En, Kirin Beverage, Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan, and Suntory Beverage & Food—five major soft-drink companies—announced on July 14, 2026 that they will relax best-before-date requirements at the point of delivery and allow a defined degree of production-lot reversal. The initiative is part of the work of the “Social Issues Response Study Group” the five companies established in November 2024, and aims to address the logistics “2024 Problem” (a shortage of truck drivers triggered by new overtime-cap regulations that took effect in April 2024) and reduce food loss.
In November 2025, the study group announced five themes it would pursue; “relaxing best-before-date requirements at delivery (permitting production-lot reversal)” was one of them. The latest announcement revealed that Seven-Eleven Japan has endorsed the initiative and will begin applying it to soft drinks from mid-July. Summit (a Japanese supermarket chain) has also expressed support and plans to launch a pilot covering selected stores and products from late July.
In transactions across the manufacturer–wholesaler–retailer supply chain, daily logistics adjustments are made to prevent production-lot reversal. When those adjustments cannot be completed in time, food loss occurs before products even reach store shelves. Noting that the logistics 2024 Problem could further worsen the shortage of truck drivers, the study group argues that relaxing delivery rules for soft drinks—which have relatively long best-before periods—will help reduce both logistics burdens and food loss.
A survey conducted by the study group found that roughly 60–80% of consumers pay attention to best-before or use-by dates for daily perishables such as fresh meat and milk, whereas only about 10–20% do so for processed foods. For PET-bottle beverages, the results were comparable to those for ice cream, which carries no mandatory best-before labelling. Furthermore, nearly 90% of respondents said they would still purchase a PET-bottle drink even if its best-before date were one month earlier than another product on the same shelf. Based on these findings, the study group believes the impact on consumer purchasing behaviour will be limited.
In practical terms, the initiative will introduce operations that permit a defined degree of production-lot reversal within existing delivery deadlines, establish a framework that maintains retailers’ delivery and sales deadlines, and reduce the additional transport runs currently made solely to align production lots.
The study group indicated that it will hold discussions and exchanges of views with relevant government ministries—including the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries—as well as logistics study groups in other industries, while expanding collaboration with retailers that endorse the initiative.
This initiative represents a review of the strict delivery-deadline management that has long been entrenched in the food industry—typified by the so-called “one-third rule” (an industry convention under which products must be delivered to retailers within the first third of their total shelf life)—taking into account the specific characteristics of soft drinks as a product category. PET-bottle beverages have long best-before periods, and as the study group’s survey results show, consumers do not place particularly high importance on the best-before date for this type of product. Given that the premise is to maintain existing delivery and sales deadlines, the initiative can be seen as a realistic step toward reducing the logistics burden.
That said, the initiative currently involves only the five soft-drink companies, Seven-Eleven Japan, and Summit, and whether it spreads across the wider industry will depend on how many other retailers choose to participate going forward. The results of the pilot and the extent to which more companies join will be worth watching closely.
【Reference】Beverage Industry “Social Issues Response Study Group”: Initiative on “Relaxing Best-Before-Date Requirements at Delivery (Permitting Production-Lot Reversal)” toward the Realisation of a Sustainable Society
【Reference】Beverage Industry “Social Issues Response Study Group”: Initiative on “Relaxing Best-Before-Date Requirements at Delivery (Permitting Production-Lot※1 Reversal)” toward the Realisation of a Sustainable Society
【Reference】Beverage Industry “Social Issues Response Study Group” – Initiative on Production-Lot Reversal
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