Japanese Children Can Receive Free Meals with Food Ribbon Project at Around 300 Eateries, Stores

The Yomiuri ShimbunA child picks up a food ribbon at an izakaya pub in Wako, Saitama Prefecture, in December. The Yomiuri ShimbunSAITAMA — Customers at an increasing number of stores and restaurants across Japan are able to provide children with free meals through the Food Ribbon project. He picked up a food ribbon posted on a whiteboard at the entrance, which he then handed to a staff member. In 2019, he learned about a curry restaurant in Nara Prefecture that offered free meals to children and visited its proprietor. At the restaurant, customers would buy food tickets for ¥200 each, which children would then use to receive the free meal.