China is clamping down on food waste (2024)

FAQs

China is clamping down on food waste? ›

Competitive eating will be banned. Excessive leftovers will be banned. a) Restaurants will have the right to charge an extra fee to any patron who leaves excessive quantities of uneaten food. b) Vendors who deceive or mislead consumers into ordering excessive amounts of food could be charged up to 10,000 yuan ($1,547).

In 2021, the government released an “Action Plan for CO2 Peaking Before 2030”, which called for actions to “curb luxury, waste and unnecessary consumption, put a resolute stop to wasteful behaviours and work tirelessly to reduce food waste in the catering industry”.

Similar to global trends, food waste in China remains a significant challenge. A 2020 survey found restaurants in Chinese cities wasted at least 34 million tons of food every year, which can feed as many as 49 million people.

Worldwide, the three highest food waste countries in 2021, namely with the most food waste originating from households, were China (almost 92 million tonnes), India (almost 69 million tonnes) and the United States of America (almost 20 million tonnes).

The amount of food China wastes is enough to feed 30 to 50 million people annually. So aggressive tactics have been necessary to reshape the way people think about their consumption habits.

For China, such stockpiles are necessary to ensure it won't be at the mercy of major food exporters such as the U.S. But other countries, especially in the developing world, might ask why less than 20% of the world's population is hoarding so much of its food. China has operated granaries for thousands of years.

Most imports came from the United States, Ukraine and Brazil, with Ukrainian imports accounting for a third of the total amount. As a result, China's Food Silk Road is creating new food trade routes between China, Europe, Russia, Central Asia and South Asia, as well as the Middle East and Africa.

Despite the rapid growth, less than 1 percent of the U.S. food supply comes from China. For a few specific items, like apple juice, garlic, canned mandarin oranges, fish, and shrimp, China is a major supplier.

Food safety has been a concern for many decades in China. The majority of food problems lies within poisonous foods deliberately contaminated by producers for higher profits. The most common types poisonous foods in china include: adulteration, additives, pesticides, and fake foods.

Food waste statistics in the US

In the United States, people waste 92 billion pounds of food annually, equal to 145 billion meals. They throw away over $473 billion worth of food annually. Shockingly, they waste 38% of all the food in America.

Which country has 0 food waste? ›

France. France is a leader when it comes to attacking food waste at the legislative level. In 2016, the country made it illegal for retailers to throw food away, and instead compels them to partner with NGOs to redistribute the food to those in need.

Households are by far the largest contributor to America's food waste problem, responsible for nearly half of the total surplus. Produce farms accounted for 17% of the total, manufacturing was responsible for nearly 15%, foodservice about 14% and retail about 6%.

Sweden's recycling system is so efficient that the country has virtually run out of rubbish, the Independent reported. The Scandinavian nation has imported rubbish from other countries for several years to keep its recycling plants running.

China has made significant efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in feeding its population. Under Xi, it has channeled substantial resources into strategies for enhancing agricultural productivity, reducing waste, and diversifying sources of supply to avoid overreliance on single markets for food imports.

It has imposed obligations on waste generators, has focused on enforcement, and also on product stewardship, along with the ban on foreign waste. The country has also introduced a target to reuse 60% of its urban household waste by 2025.

Most Chinese cities still rely on waste-pickers to rummage through bins and pluck out plastic bottles and cardboard to sell to recycling plants, leaving the remaining waste to be mixed and transported by sanitation departments for incineration or landfills.

In May 2024, USDA invested $1.5 million to fund a Center that will prioritize food loss and waste prevention and recovery among Land-grant Universities, their partners, and external stakeholders and will establish a National Extension Food Loss and Waste Strategy so that extension agents can help educate individuals ...