Many Chinese restaurants and diners have come out in support of stopping food waste and promoting thrift as Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “Clear Your Plate” campaign grows in strength.
The renenewed government emphasis on food waste was introduced in August with the “Clear Your Plate” campaign which urged catering companies to introduce measures to stop food waste. Food delivery service Eleme recently collaborated with the UN to promote a “Zero Food Waste” campaign which over 37,000 merchants signed up to.
The “Clear Your Plate” hashtag #GuangPanXingDong光盘行动 has generated over 1.22 million posts and 830 million views on Weibo. Earlier this year, “big stomach” livestreamers came under fire from Chinese netizens for producing unnecessary waste.
The topic has been especially popular during the ongoing eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday as many people celebrate by eating large meals together. The China Consumers Association reminded people to be reasonable when ordering meals and to avoid eating extravagantly.
