Noto Peninsula Earthquake

Bread Companies Donate Baked Goods to Aid Quake Victims

Courtesy of the Ishikawa prefectural government
Self-Defense Forces personnel handle baked goods donated by manufacturers at the Ishikawa Industrial Exhibition Hall in Kanazawa.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:25 JST, January 5, 2024

Major bread manufacturers are sending sweet and savory baked goods to the Ishikawa Industrial Exhibition Hall in Kanazawa to aid victims of the Noto Peninsula Earthquake.

Tokyo-based Yamazaki Baking Co. on Tuesday and Wednesday delivered some 47,700 baked items to the hall, which serves as a hub for the transport of relief supplies. Normally, breads made at two of the company’s factories in Aichi Prefecture go first to a distribution center in Toyama Prefecture before being sent to Ishikawa Prefecture, but this time they were delivered directly to the hall in Kanazawa. About 40,000 more items are scheduled to be delivered on Friday in two 10-ton trucks.

“Bread can be eaten as is even without water or fire. We want to get it to disaster-stricken areas as soon as possible,” a company spokesperson said.

Pasco Shikishima Corp., based in Nagoya, has also stepped up production since the earthquake, and shipped 32,579 items for aid on Tuesday and Wednesday. It plans to deliver another 20,000 items on Friday. The Japan Baking Industry Association in Chuo Ward, Tokyo, is coordinating with each company on how much bread they can provide, at the request of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry.