China to strengthen push to reduce food waste

BEIJING, Nov 1 (Reuters) – China will strengthen efforts to reduce the amount of grain lost at harvest and food wasted in kitchens across the country, the government said on Monday, as part of a broad action plan to further boost food security.

China launched a major campaign against food wastage last year, spearheaded by President Xi Jinping amid growing worries about food security during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While efforts so far have achieved “tangible results”, more can be done to build a “high-quality, more efficient and more sustainable national food security system”, the government said in a plan published on its website.

It called for higher seed standards to promote multi-resistance crop varieties, new technology for precision planting of wheat and intelligent and efficient harvesters.

It also said Beijing will start to offer subsidies for grain drying equipment to reduce post-harvest losses.

The transport and processing sectors have also been included in the plan, while the animal feed sector is encouraged to use more corn and soymeal substitutes and reduce protein levels, in line with an initiative released this year. read more

The catering sector as well as schools and government departments should continue to manage food portions and avoid wasteful behaviour, the government added.

The government will “deepen” its publicity efforts to shape public opinion on the topic and also improve its data on the issue, including setting up a waste evaluation index system.

Reporting by Dominique Patton; Editing by Himani Sarkar

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.