Chinese government pushes a “Clean Plate Campaign” to discourage food waste
With supply chains under strain, the Chinese government has been furiously pushing a “Clean Plate Campaign” to discourage eaters from wasting food. Launched in August, here’s what the initiative looks like on the ground: Restaurants are offering “half-servings” on menus, college cafeterias are giving students who finish their meals “gifts” like fruit, and government officials are prohibited from hosting banquets. The thinking goes, if the country can collectively lessen food demand, it might restore prices to pre-pandemic levels, particularly for high-demand commodities like pork and vegetables. Prices have spiked this year compared to 2019, due to the pandemic, African swine fever, and flooding. Washington Post has the story.
