China to bring in law against food waste with fines for promoting overeating

Xi Jinping’s war on waste is set to be enshrined in law, with the submission of draft legislation to China’s highest legal committee recommending large fines for businesses that enable or promote wasting food.

In August the Chinese leader said the amount of food wasted nationally was shocking and distressing, declaring in a speech that: “waste is shameful and thriftiness is honourable”.

Under the campaign “Operation empty plate”, local authorities quickly embarked on programs to reduce waste and encourage food outlets to limit orders to one less dish than the number of diners in a group. The popular phenomenon of mukbang videos – performative eating videos which originated in Korea and often feature excessive binge eating – were also banned.

‘Operation empty plate’: Xi Jinping makes food waste his next target

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Under the draft law submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on Tuesday, food service operators face penalties if they induce or mislead consumers to “order excessive meals and cause obvious waste”. Offenders would be given a warning by local authorities, and face fines of up to 10,000 yuan (£1,140) if they fail to comply.

It also would allow restaurants to charge patrons for excessive amounts of leftovers.

The draft law also stipulated potential fines for a broadcaster – radio, TV, or online – which produces publishes or disseminates the promotion of food waste, including overeating. Failing to heed a formal warning by government authorities could result in penalties of up to 100,000 yuan, and the suspension of business “for rectification”.

A report by the China Academy Science found that in 2015 residents in big cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, wasted 17 to 18 million tons of food, or enough to feed 30 to 50 million people. A quarter of the waste was staple foods like rice and noodles, and about 18% of it meat, the report said.

China relies heavily on imports for its food security, particularly when natural disasters like flooding affect domestic production and prices.

On Chinese social media some labeled the proposed law overkill and said it was “catering to the leadership”.

“As a business, who would punish its own customers?,” said one person in Weibo who called the draft “idealistic”.

“Instead of this kind of bill, it is better to regulate the standard of the amount of food for foodservice, requiring foodservice to provide medium and small portions.”

Others worried that the law would induce restaurants to provide smaller meals at higher prices, or wondered what it would mean if a patron had a small appetite or just didn’t like their meal.

“I will pay attention to the portion when ordering, and I will pack the leftovers,” said one person. “However, sometimes it’s true that the food cannot be swallowed because the food is unpalatable. I hope that the legislative provisions can take this into account.”

Additional reporting by Pei Lin Wu