Food waste in China threatens food security

China shares with the other world superpower, the United States, scandalous levels of food waste: about 27 percent of what it produces, equal to over 350 million tons.

But the critical point is another: 45 percent of this waste occurs in the post-harvest and storage phases. And since China, with its 7 percent of cultivated land, feeds 19 percent of the world's population, such a high percentage of wasted food puts the entire planet's food security at risk. Even a small percentage of post-harvest loss means millions of tons of less food available, and therefore pressure on the global food supply, which has immediate repercussions on the market causing an increase in consumer prices. 

If, for example, China buys more wheat or corn:

• international prices are rising
• poorer countries have a harder time buying them

This can exacerbate problems of hunger and food insecurity in various regions of the world.

But how is the Chinese government moving to reduce food waste in these phases? The goal is ambitious, to raise it to 17 percent by 2030. Massive investments have been made to achieve this. refrigerated warehouses near agricultural areas, centers that they clean, dry and treat the grain so as not to waste it, and they are used modern drying towers which produce less mold and therefore reduce the risk of food spoilage after harvesting and during storage.

Even more massive have been the interventions to reduce the percentage of food wasted downstream in the supply chain, that is, during consumption. 

Since 2021, China has had a national law that penalizes food waste. It states:

• provides fines for restaurants and customers who are too "wasteful" 
• Restaurants can charge for leftovers left on the plate
• Venues that encourage excessive orders may be fined 

Finally, the Chinese government launched the “Clean Plate” campaign, inviting citizens and restaurateurs to finish everything they order. 

Many measures concern the sector where most waste occurs, restaurants and catering services for various ceremonies:

• Recommend to order fewer dishes than the number of people
• Smaller or shared portions
• Stricter controls on banquets and official dinners (which in the past were very abundant)

Read also:

• Clean Plate Campaign in China
• What to do to avoid wasting food
• Food: the water we waste at the table