The scale of the waste is almost beyond comprehension, especially in a country where 128 million people lived below the official poverty line in 2011. According to Xinhua, the state news wire, China throws away enough food every year to feed 200 million people — about one-sixth of the country’s population. In 2008, China Agricultural University estimated that the country wastes 50 million tons of food per year — about 10 percent of its total annual grain output. The waste occurs at every level of society. According to the university’s data, a third of the food purchased in Beijing university cafeterias is also wasted.

[…] What explains such waste? A September 2001 article from People’s Daily opined that “face,” a difficult-to-define concept that refers to social prestige, is the culprit: “Restaurant customers in China, especially those who want to treat guests or those have the privilege to spend public money in slap-up restaurants, generally have such notions in mind that their face or prestige depends upon how much money they spend on dishes.”

Bloomberg Businessweek reported in January, meanwhile, that the United States wastes 40% of all the food it produces, a total of $250 billion worth annually.

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Post tags: agriculture, banquets, food, food waste, poverty
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On January 29, Xi’s comment went public on China Central Television’s widely-watched evening news broadcast, xinwen lianbo. Next day, People’s Daily, a mouthpiece of the CCCPC, devoted half its front page and six articles responding to Xi’s call. The headlines ranged from “Opposing Waste Is a Political Mission” and “‘Tongue Tip’ Regulation Requires All Stakeholders’ Cooperation” to “Restaurants Should Offer Half-Entrees” and  ”The High Season For High-End Liquor Is Over.”

[...] The rest of China’s mainstream media quickly fell into line. In an article titled “Opposing Waste Is a Profound and Far-Reaching Social Reform,” Global Times opined, “Chinese people’s wastefulness isn’t only shown in banquets, [but also] the desire for big houses and good cars that’s learned from Americans — these are all signals of a culture of waste.”

[...] But in a highly-charged political atmosphere such as China, even discussion of universal values can lead to unexpected places. Unlike Global Times, which tends to follow the Communist Party line, other news outlets followed instructions to report on the “Clear the Plate” but did so with a twist: they lauded the campaign, but also took the opportunity to critique and investigate the corruption underlying it.

For example, Sina.com pointed out that abuse of public funds is a main cause of food waste. China Youth Daily recommended rewarding those who blow the whistle on abuse of public funds. Journalists from Beijing News reviewed annual meeting banquets among different provinces’ resident offices in Beijing, finding that a “standard dinner table cost RMB8,000 [about US$1,285]“. The known outspoken miroblog account of People’s Daily Online commented, “Power won’t limit itself; only reliable regulations and oversight can put power into a cage.”

See also Fines for Food Waste and the “Clean Plate Campaign”, via CDT

© Mengyu Dong for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: food waste, Global Times, online public opinion, public opinion, state media
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“I suggest the government prohibit wasting food by treating it as a kind of crime and shameful behaviour,” he said. “Many banquets I have attended offered dozens of different dishes to the guests, who only briefly tasted each dish and then threw them away. The authorities should fine them.”

Yuan said squandering food was unforgivable, especially because China had to pull out all stops to provide enough food for its 1.3 billion people due to its limited arable land. “It was difficult to improve rice’s output, but after we did we found the food was being wasted,” he said.

China News Service has reported that the country’s leftover food could feed more than 200 million people a year. The State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development said about 128 million people were living below the official poverty line in 2011.

Meanwhile, 28 million undergraduates studying at mainland universities throw away enough food every year to feed 10 million people, according to research by China Agricultural University.

The abundance of wasted food in China – a country where some are struggling even to meet their nutritional needs – has prompted an online campaign against food squandering, as pointed out by a recent tweet from Xinhua. Below are two images circulating the Weibosphere as part of the “clean plate campaign”:

Today, leave no leftovers

It starts with me

I have a “clean plate”

今天不剩饭

从我做起

我，是 “光盘”

@LongjiangGourmet “Clean Plate” movement starts with me

@龙江美食 “光盘” 行动， 从我做起

Every year, China’s restaurant industry throws out enough food to feed 200 million people!

我国餐饮业每年倒掉的饭菜相当于两亿多人一年的粮！

China has tens of millions of people in need of food and clothing!

中国还有数千万人口处于温饱线之下！

Recovering just 5% of wasted food could feed four million people!

只要回收5％被丢弃的食品， 就能养活400万饥民！

Guarding our savory civilization starts with me. I won’t waste food anymore!

守护舌尖上的文明，从我做起，以后不剩饭！

© josh rudolph for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Confucius Peace Prize, food waste, online opinion, waste, Yuan Longping
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