China speeds up draft law against food waste as nation strives to feed 1.4 billion people
- China’s Legislative Affairs Commission is drafting a law to ban food waste, a problem that President Xi Jinping described as ‘shocking’ earlier this year
- Beijing is also preparing grain supply law as the issue of food security has become more important amid souring relations with the United States
China’s legislature is speeding up its drafting of a national law to discourage food waste, following President Xi Jinping’s order to clamp down on the problem and ensure stable food supply.
The Legislative Affairs Commission of the National People’s Congress is pressing ahead with the law, a first for China, and held a symposium with local lawmakers and legal experts this week to talk preliminary clauses, according to the Hebei provincial legislature.
Hebei is the first Chinese province to launch a local law against food waste. The regulation, which came into effect last month, bans live-streaming of extravagant food consumption and prohibits restaurants from setting minimum charges on food.
The Legislative Affairs Commission is reviewing domestic regulations and food waste laws in countries like France and Italy, said Zang Tiewei, the spokesman for the commission.
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In 2016, France banned grocery stores from throwing away edible food and Italy passed a similar law to punish food waste.
