War against food waste heats up

Jiang Zhuyue, who lives in the district, said, "When I saw people taking food from shared dishes with their own chopsticks, I was reluctant to take leftovers home to share with my family, due to concerns about hygiene."

However, she added that more eateries are now placing several pairs of serving chopsticks or spoons on tables, adding, "As a result, I'm now more willing to take the leftovers away."

At the Anhui Jinling Grand Hotel in Hefei's downtown Baohe district, diners who avoid food waste have been rewarded since April. If they take away their leftovers, customers receive either a 10 percent discount or a 50 yuan ($7.19) coupon to use on their next visit.

Shen Qi, the hotel's catering manager, said, "In contrast to family gatherings, banquets are more prone to food waste, because hosts often wrongly think that extravagance demonstrates their generosity."

The Datang Fenghuangyuan Catering Entertainment Co in Lubei district of Tangshan, Hebei, which caters to weddings and parties, has put up notices reminding customers to avoid food waste.

A banner hung at the door to a wedding hall states, "Waste is shameful, thrift is to be applauded". On tables seating 10 diners, a plate is laid bearing the words "no leftovers", while a large electronic screen, usually used to show newlyweds' photos, displays the slogan: "We are in action! Say no to waste food!"

Zheng Lina, the company's general manager, said: "These are all very necessary measures because weddings and parties are typical examples of serious food waste. To avoid this, we have also changed our serving sizes."

Previously, a dish of shrimps usually comprised as many of the crustaceans as a plate could hold, but now only 10 to 12 shrimps are served to a table of 10 diners.

In Shanghai, the Suntime Century restaurant in the Kempinski Hotel introduced an individual set menu in May.

Renepol Bouldoires, the hotel's food and beverage director, said the culinary team ensured the menu featured a variety of dishes with sufficient portions for each diner. The menu has been particularly popular for business meals, he added.

At Acqua, its Italian restaurant, the hotel has introduced a fine of 100 yuan for every 50 grams of food wasted at its "all-you-can-eat" Saturday brunch. "We promote food awareness, and to avoid waste we advise guests not to over-order," Bouldoires said.

The Shanghai Yuyuan Tourist Mart Co said the long-established restaurants it operates have always encouraged customers to order sensibly and take their leftovers home. The eateries also specify the weight of food in each dish on their menus.

In recent years, chibo, or livestreaming people eating food, which initially became popular in Japan and South Korea, has been taken up by increasing numbers of online broadcasters in China.

Some shows feature excessive quantities of food being eaten in a short time, while others focus on diners tucking into raw seafood or extremely spicy dishes.

Li Yijun, a food video producer on Douyin, the short-video sharing platform, said he disagrees with such practices.

"Every time I make a food video at a restaurant, I'm frequently offered a table full of dishes, but I always pack up the leftovers if I cannot eat them all," said Li, who started posting food videos in January and now has nearly 50,000 followers.

"I cultivated this habit in childhood, and I feel it would be a great waste if I just throw the food away after shooting," he added.

On Wednesday, China Central Television criticized food waste, citing some livestream broadcasts as a bad example. The post on Sina Weibo was quickly "liked" by tens of thousands of people.