Infiltration of Japanese Conservation in the South Eastern States

If you've been paying attention when you grocery shop, you may have noticed some new additions to the product selection.  For example Buddy Fruit, a type of apple sauce you drink made from only real fruit (available at Wal-mart, Food Lion, Bi-lo, and Chick-fil-a).  It's being marketed at Food Lion for toddlers, but I like to buy it to go with my lunches.  I even noticed that Starbucks is carrying a different brand of a similar product.  Have you seen Dial's Eco-Smart Refill that allows you to squeeze out all the soap without having to add water (available at Food Lion).  Good-bye thick skinned refill jugs!  It's a little higher in cost, but it's worth it!  These were not available in South Carolina (to my knowledge) when I left for Japan in May 2010, but when I returned in August 2011, these caught my eye quickly.

Photos by A.J. Randall 2012

Did you know that I saw these products in Japan?  Shiseido is just one of many shampoo brands in Japan.  All of the brands were set up where you can buy the dispenser and then refill it as needed.  Not only do these squeeze packages save space in the garbage, but they're also recyclable (even better, right?!).  Qoo (pronounced - koo) is actually a Coca-Cola product.  It's a fruit gelatin substance that one can suck out.  So, it's not quite as healthy as Buddy Fruit, but it's still pretty good.