英闻天下——200 China Fighting Food Waste during Holiday Season

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　　This follows Chinese leader Xi Jingping's call to avoid extravagance during bureaucratic¹ visits.

 

　　Figures show 8 million tons of food – worth 300 Billion Yuan is wasted annually² here in the country, with public officials and civil servants said to be responsible for 92 percent of that.

 

　　Following Xi Jingping's call, a number of traditional year end parties by government officials have reportedly been downgraded.

 

　　However the wastage isn't just being blamed on government officials, with restaurant owners in Beijing saying their customers are often as guilty.

 

　　"Normally, two people can finish one or two dishes, but if they end up ordering five or six dishes, they sure couldn't finish them all. Food waste happens most often during business dinners, with some dishes going straight to the waste. "

 

　　This spring festival, apart from encouraging people to order less, 10 big dining brands in Beijing will also introduce a half-portion option to allow people more variety while avoiding waste.

 

　　However a Professor of Public Management, Zhang Zhixin with the Capital University of Economics and Business, says the anti-food-waste drive needs stricter rules.

 

　　"We should try to eliminate undocumented officials' collective spending by tightening³ our budgetary rules. By doing so I think we can avoid corruption⁴ and unnecessary banquets."

 

　　According to media reports, the volume of leftovers⁵ in restaurants across the country is estimated to be enough to feed 200 million people annually.

 

　　A recent study estimated the total of global food loss and waste to around one third of the edible⁶ food produced for human consumption, amounting to about 1.3 billion tons per year.

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