Food culture in China has seen significant changes in recent years. While older generations may recall hard economic times, and traditions of frugal meals, the growing middle class in modern China often wishes to demonstrate wealth by hosting large banquets, where leftovers are a sign of generosity and abundance.
A political speech alone or a law on the books would probably not be enough to change this new attitude toward food at the individual level. What matters is institutional change and on the ground enforcement.
The Wuhan Catering Industry Association called on restaurants in the city to establish a system called “N-1 ordering” whereby a group is limited to order one dish fewer than the number of diners. Several other cities followed suit.
In Chongqing, the Federation of Industry and Commerce issued a statement promising to implement Xi’s guidance, setting up public LED screens with prompts to “establish a frugal consumption” system, as well as measures to “supervise consumers to eat frugally.”
In the newspaper Chongqing Daily this week, reporters were dispatched to several restaurants where they concluded that “food waste is still common.” A headline declared, “Four people ordered eight dishes, but not all of them were eaten.”