Most Chinese tend to take home leftovers when dining out: survey

BEIJING - A recent survey has shown that 91.2 percent of the Chinese respondents tend to take home their leftovers when dining out, Monday's China Youth Daily reported.

In particular, 30.9 percent said they take the leftovers every time while 60.3 percent said they would ask for a doggie bag if the leftovers are still in good shape and there is a lot left, according to the survey conducted by the newspaper.

Around 92 percent of the respondents believed saving food is a virtue that would never become anachronic, and 85.7 percent said saving food squares with the contemporary concept that values the quality of life, according to the survey.

Respondents also gave their opinions on how to help reduce food waste. Around 61.8 percent advised restaurants and eateries to offer serving chopsticks, which would be instrumental for customers to pack the leftovers. A similar proportion of respondents said it might be useful to promote smaller-portion or half-portion dishes. About 59 percent advised catering businesses to introduce coupons or other incentives for customers who clear their plates after dinner.

A total of 2,009 persons participated in the survey. Among them, people born in the 1980s or 1990s accounted for 81.6 percent while those born in the 1970s accounted for 10.4 percent. Around 80.7 percent of the respondents live in first- or second-tier cities while 16.3 percent live in third- or fourth-tier cities.

China has launched a campaign against food waste since 2013 and renewed the call this year to alert an increasingly prosperous society.