More than 100 corporations and government departments are joining a campaign to reduce food waste by cutting two courses from their Lunar New Year banquets.
Campaign organiser Friends of the Earth said having two fewer courses at banquets would cut food waste by 15 per cent. It is urged people to bring food boxes to banquets and take home any leftovers.
So far, 81 government departments, 55 corporations and two business chambers have adopted the waste prevention methods at their celebrations.
Executive Council convenor Leung Chun-ying and Council for Sustainable Development chairman Bernard Chan also initiated their own campaign to cut two courses from banquets earlier this week. About 40 restaurants, corporations and green groups have signed up to this venture.
Friends of the Earth said cutting courses in banquets could also help the public combat inflation. The six-course banquet for 12 it held yesterday cost HK$3,000 - HK$600 less than the original nine courses proposed by the restaurant.
The green group said that diners mostly cut courses with shark's fin and fat choy, a type of algae that loosens the soil and exacerbates desertification when it is harvested.