Episode Details

For generations, abundance at the Chinese table has been measured not by what is eaten, but by what is left behind—where full plates signal generosity, status, and face. In this episode, we examine how that deeply ingrained culture of waste is being challenged by a top-down campaign led by Xi Jinping, who has framed food waste as a threat to national food security shaped by his own memories of hunger. From a sweeping 2021 anti-food-waste law and bans on mukbang videos to efforts encouraging diners to take leftovers home, the story traces how the state is trying to engineer new habits around “clean plate” behavior. Yet as experts point out that waste occurs all along the farm-to-fork chain, the campaign reveals a larger struggle: whether legislation and moral pressure can truly reshape everyday practices tied to pride, tradition, and prosperity.

https://www.economist.com/china/2022/03/12/china-is-clamping-down-on-food-waste