Stop food waste!

Food is the first need of the people. Chinese people have always cherished the country’s long-standing food culture. However, in today’s highly developed catering industry, the issue of food waste has become more prominent. It is necessary to further enhance public awareness of the issue, effectively cultivate thrifty habits and foster a social environment where waste is shameful and thriftiness is applaudable.

Data shows that the per capita amount of food left uneaten per meal came to 93 grams in China in 2018, a waste rate of 11.7 percent. According to survey data, Chinese consumers wasted roughly 17 to 18 million tons of food each year from 2013 to 2015, enough to feed 30 to 50 million individuals annually.

Calling the issue of food waste shocking and distressing, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Xi Jinping stressed the need to enhance legislation and supervision, take effective measures, and establish a long-term mechanism to prevent food waste. 

Though China has reaped bumper grain harvests for years, awareness of the possibility of a food security crisis is still necessary. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic this year has sounded the alarm, Xi noted.

China, a large country with 1.4 billion people, is confident that it will secure its “rice bowl” in any situation as long as the country continues to improve grain production, practice thrift and oppose waste.

Editor：Lotus