A matcha shortage has been brewing up over the past few months, sparked by the growing trend of matcha consumption in recent years. The demand for the Japanese product has surged to the point where manufacturers can no longer keep up, and their supply is running low.
The shortage is a reminder of the implications that have brought about the deficit in the first place — the unsustainable hoarding, overconsumption and disregard for cultural significance, along with the trend-hopping that has come with the commodification of matcha.
The issue is not about appreciating a matcha latté or buying it every so-often from a high-quality, commemorative café, but more about purchasing it in mass high-volume quantities and hogging it to fuel a trend-obsessed consumption.
Many people on social media, primarily TikTok, share their “Japan hauls” and matcha goods they picked up along the way, ranging from different picks of the bright green powder to varying matcha-flavored snacks that influencers and brands hope for consumers to quickly get on board with. This practice of filming “shopping hauls,” featuring a large number of consumer goods, only feeds into the unsustainability of overconsumption. This also encourages consumers, especially young ones, to share everything they bought, only to throw it out shortly after when it expires or loses its fresh aroma. This is a bad habit that builds up excessive waste, harms the environment and takes supply away from those looking to purchase just one or two products.
Like coffee and a number of other shelf products, a matcha’s tin freshness won’t last forever. The optimal shelf life is a few months after its initial opening and one to two years unopened, but it seems that people are stocking up matcha to last them a lifetime. Overstocking on matcha isn’t helping the consumer, whose products will go stale before long, nor is it helping the unstable matcha industry that is driving up prices to keep up with demand.
With this rise in demand, the authenticity that comes with commemorating the history of the product has become commodified, and the cultural significance of matcha is now less-often recognized and appreciated.
This is when cultural appropriation of matcha comes into play. A number of influencers have begun finding alternative ways that stray away from the traditional chasen (bamboo whisk) and chawan (ceremonial bowls) tools used to make ceremonial Japanese matcha. They instead mock and ignore the cultural origins of it with the purpose of capitalizing off of it, whether that be influencers having brand deals or corporations finding their own ways to make matcha flavoring.
Otherwise, much of the engagement with matcha is not cultural appropriation. Simply enjoying the drink from a matcha shop by appreciating its flavor, history, calming effects and health benefits without disrespecting or diminishing its cultural significance is usually a form of cultural appreciation rather than appropriation — unless it’s to stay on trend.
The main reason for the blow-up in matcha sales has been social media trending on popular food pages.The “clean girl” trend has begun spiraling over recent years, and matcha, unfortunately, has fallen in as one of the trend’s victims. The vibrant jade-like green shade is the perfect color to be used as the new staple of the trend, which symbolizes high beauty and wellness status. It also doesn’t hurt that the drink is refreshing and naturally sweet.
Ultimately, even though the matcha supply issue may be temporary, it’s important to look at the deeper problems that it signals. Until consumers learn to more intentionally respect the origins of matcha and buy it in moderation, these shortages and the overlooking of cultural traditions will continue to ensue until there is no longer any capacity to do so. If this continues, both the product and its cultural significance may be lost for good.
Julia Kremenetsky is an Opinion Intern for the spring 2025 quarter. She can be reached at jkremene@uci.edu.
Edited by Rebecca Do and Joshua Gonzales.
