China faces a mounting sustainability challenge tied to how food is produced, served and eaten. Banquets and social norms that favour many dishes create frequent leftovers, while a long‑term dietary shift from grains to meat has raised the environmental cost of waste: per capita meat consumption rose from under 10 kilograms annually in the 1970s to approximately 70 kg by 2022.
Research points to substantial losses at multiple stages. In 2015 restaurants discarded an estimated 17–18 million tons of food a year, about 93 grams per person per meal, with over a third of banquet dishes uneaten. Total annual food waste from households, retail and food service was estimated at 931 million tons, and 61 percent of that occurred in people’s homes. In 2022 post‑harvest losses were estimated at 289–368 million tons (about a 14 percent loss rate), while consumption‑stage waste was 27–35 million tons (around a 5 percent loss rate). Manufacturing overcapacity has been cited as one factor behind excess supply.
Civic action began when environmentalist Xu Zhijun and the group N_33 posted empty‑plate images on Weibo on 22 April 2012; the Empty the Plate Campaign went viral in 2013 and was later promoted by the China Guanghua Technology Foundation, linked to the Communist Youth League of China. The campaign reappeared on social media between 2022 and 2023. The government passed an Anti‑Food Waste Law in 2021 that fines restaurants and content creators who encourage excessive ordering or binge‑eating, requires reminders against waste, and penalises platforms that host videos glorifying overconsumption. Platforms were warned before the law, and serious violations can bring fines between RMB 10,000 and 100,000 (approximately USD 1,500–15,000). Creators have reacted by deleting content, changing topics, or posting abroad.
The State Council has issued a comprehensive action plan to tackle overproduction and cut loss rates during production, storage, transportation and processing to below the international average by 2027.
Difficult words
- sustainability — ability to meet needs without harming environment
- banquet — large formal meal with many dishesBanquets
- leftover — food remaining after a mealleftovers
- overcapacity — excess production ability beyond demand
- loss rate — percentage of food lost during a process
- penalise — punish legally, often with a finepenalises
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How effective do you think social media campaigns and the 2021 Anti‑Food Waste Law can be together? Give reasons.
- What steps could households take to reduce the 61 percent of waste that happens at home?
- How might manufacturing overcapacity contribute to food waste, and what policies could address it?
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