Action Plan on Food Conservation and Anti-Food Waste
China
Availability, Accessibility, Vendor and Product Properties, Convenience, Marketing and Regulation, Desirability, Norms and Preferences
National
Citizens/Consumers, Businesses, Public Sector
Ongoing
The policy aims to reduce food loss and waste across the entire grain supply chain: processing, production, transportation and storage below international averages. Including significantly cut per-meal food waste in the HRI sector, which includes restaurants, cafeterias and canteens, while building a long-term conservation mechanism by 2027. The methods include deploying advanced machinery and developing standards, guidelines and data indicators for loss/waste reduction. It also requires canteens/cafeterias to establish anti-waste guidelines, evaluate daily needs and include waste reduction in KPI's. Reviving the 2013 "Clean Plate Campaign" with reminders for appropriate ordering, packing leftovers and food donations would be included.
The action plan follows the 2021 Anti-Food Waste Law, the 2024 Food Security Guarantee Law and the ongoing "Clean Plate Campaign" launched in 2013. It was necessitated by the observed high food loss/waste across farm-to-table stages despite prior efforts.
It is monitored via continuous data collection, a new statistical survey system, data indicators which would be improved by 2027 and evaluations/assessments in cafeterias. Ratings for tourism/food businesses will also be used. The central government agencies coordinate the execution, while the local governments, industry practitioners and international partners are responsible for implementation and reporting.
The Action Plan was released in November 2024 by multiple central government agencies and is currently in the early implementation phase. In day-to-day work, it encourages advanced machinery for harvesting, storage, and transport. It also promotes by-product utilisation (e.g., alternative feed) to maximise resource efficiency. The policy requires violators to face interviews, penalties, media exposure, and corrective actions. The desired goal is that by 2027, the grain loss rate in production, storage, transport, and processing would be below the international average