On Saturday evening I went with the family and several Chinese friends to one of those huge Spa places, close to Sihui Metro Station, one famous for its buffet food. The restaurant was fully packed and Chinese were consuming enormous amounts of food in a near frenzy. I saw a lot of food going to waste, as people fill up enormous plates and often fail to finish. It is one of the examples of food being wasted, not just in the official or wedding banquets, where doggy bags are seldom used for obvious reasons.
Not only China Daily but also incoming president Xi Jinping has pleaded for wasting less.
Chinese New Year is one of those occasions were waste of food, useless presents and extravagant packaging are still the norm.
China Daily has published several calls for thrift, such as:
“Thrift is better than an annuity”, by Op Rana. (8 February 2013)
http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2013-02/08/content_16214356.htm
The article mentions some disturbing figures:
–  According to one estimate, more than 200 billion yuan ($32.16 billion) worth of food is wasted as leftovers in China every year. Others say the amount of food wasted in the country every year is enough to feed 200 million people.
– The Institution of Mechanical Engineers says in its recent report that up to half of the food produced in the world ends up as waste every year. This, according to the UK-based independent group’s report, means that as much as 2 billion tons of food never makes it on to a plate.
– A 2011 study by the Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology – sponsored by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization – which said that about one-third of all food produced (1.3 billion tons) ended up as waste annually, in equal measure in developed and developing nations.
– Up to 30% of the British vegetable crop is not harvested because it fails to meet marketing standards for size and looks.
As I mention in Toxic Capitalism, problems in transportation & storage, unnecessarily strict sell-by dates and buy-one-get-one free offers are to blame. But also consumers’ demand for cosmetically perfect food, along with “poor engineering and agricultural practices” are to blame.
Says Op Rana: “Those indulging in extravagance and exhibitionism should remember another Chinese proverb: A thriftless woman burns the entire candle looking for a match.”