Grocery stores in Japan are expanding their range of frozen products because of soaring prices for fresh vegetables. The Inageya supermarket chain already sells asparagus from Peru and spinach and other imported frozen foods from China, with about 70 outlets.
The chain has a strong presence in the Tokyo metropolitan area and has also launched domestic frozen organic vegetables with a somewhat erratic supply, such as spinach or Japanese wasabi spinach.
The supermarket has bought frozen vegetables independently under a contract with a food trading company in Osaka, and it now hopes to maintain stable stock levels throughout the year.
Summit, another supermarket chain, is now selling frozen Chinese spinach and komatsuna in response to a shortage of domestic frozen vegetables.
The increase in the price of fresh produce was mainly caused by low temperatures and other adverse weather conditions.