From farm to plate, China steps up push to reduce food waste

A staff member helps customers pack the leftover food at a restaurant in Xiqing District of north China's Tianjin, June 8, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

At a bustling restaurant in Tianjin's Xiqing District, signs reading "Save Food" catch the eye. After lunch with her family, a woman surnamed Wang carefully packs up a half-eaten bowl of congee to take home.

"I want my child to learn the value of food from an early age," she said, tucking the container into her bag, a small act echoing a nationwide push to reduce food waste.

From public awareness campaigns to industry overhauls, China is undergoing a green transformation in how it grows, prepares and consumes food.

Restaurant manager Guo Ke said the nationwide "Clear Your Plate" campaign has led to tangible change in diners' behavior, while the food service industry is also improving its practices.

"We follow a purchase-on-demand model to avoid overstocking ingredients," Guo said. "Scientific management in storage and food preparation helps us make the most of every item."

The restaurant also offers half-size and small portions to encourage customers to order more reasonably, he added.

At the policy level, China has passed a landmark anti-food waste law, forming a robust legal framework to tackle waste from farm to chopsticks. Under the law, catering service providers are required to remind customers to avoid excessive ordering and can charge a disposal fee for large amounts of leftovers.

Additionally, a food security law, implemented in 2023, includes provisions to promote grain conservation, reinforcing the legal foundation for nationwide efforts against waste.

Authorities have also introduced national standards, such as the credit rating evaluation standard for the restaurant industry and the general principles for food waste reduction management in catering services.

"China now boasts one of the world's most comprehensive anti-food waste systems," said Wu Bo, associate professor at Tianjin University of Finance and Economics.

Under policy guidance, cities across the country are embracing the shift.

In Beijing, "food banks" have been piloted to give a second life to near-expiry groceries by redistributing them to communities in need. Meanwhile, in Shanghai, the "Clear Your Plate" campaign has taken root in the restaurant industry, helping slash kitchen waste by nearly 50 percent.

By the end of last year, Shanghai had certified 2,950 "green restaurants," where food safety, low-carbon practices and ethical business standards are taken into consideration.

Beyond the "Clear Your Plate" campaign, efforts to curb food waste now stretch across the entire supply chain, from smarter farming to greener logistics.

Farmers drive transplanters to transplant rice seedlings at a demonstration farm in Xiqing District of north China's Tianjin, May 25, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

At a modern agricultural farm in Tianjin, drones and transplanters work in sync with satellite data to manage rice fields more efficiently, where less grain is wasted during the production.

"A six-person team can manage over 1,300 hectares of rice fields, with yields improving year after year thanks to tailored, eco-friendly solutions," said Dai Renqiang, farm manager.

Yet, on a macro level, challenges still remain. Data from the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, shows 8 percent of China's grain is lost in the process from production and harvesting to storage, transport and consumption.

To address such issues, China launched a national action plan in late 2024 to build a long-term mechanism for food saving. The plan aims to keep grain production, storage, transport and processing loss rates below the international average by 2027.

"Going beyond simple conservation, China's green dining transformation reflects a deeper commitment to sustainability -- and a vision for safeguarding the future of food and society," Wu Bo believed.