Law of the People's Republic of China on Food Waste

Updated: 2021-04-29

Article 14

Individuals shall pursue socially responsible, healthy, rational, and green consumption. When eating out, they shall order and take food reasonably according to their health conditions, eating habits, and dining needs.

In family life, families and their members shall cultivate and form science-proved and healthy habits that make the best use of food and prevent waste, and purchase, store and prepare food according to the actual needs of daily life.

Article 15

The state shall improve the standards for producing, storing, transporting, and processing food and other edible agricultural products, promote the use of new technologies, new techniques, and new equipment, guide moderate processing and comprehensive utilization, and reduce losses.

Food producers and operators shall take measures to improve food storage, transportation, and processing conditions to prevent food spoilage, reduce food losses during storage and transport, improve food processing and utilization, and avoid overprocessing and excessive use of raw materials.

Article 16

When formulating and revising relevant national, industrial and local standards, prevention of food waste shall be taken as an important consideration. Waste shall be prevented to the maximum extent on the premise of ensuring food safety.

Food shelf life shall be set scientifically and reasonably, marked prominently and made easily identifiable.

Article 17

People's governments at all levels and their relevant departments shall establish supervision and inspection mechanisms against food waste, and promptly urge the rectification of food waste problems identified.

Where a food producer or operator seriously wastes food in the course of food production or marketing, market regulation authorities, commerce authorities and other authorities under the local people's government at or above the county level may admonish its legal representative or principal leader. The admonished food producer or operator shall make immediate rectification.

Article 18

Government authorities, in conjunction with relevant authorities, shall establish evaluation and notification systems for the effectiveness of food waste reduction work in government organ cafeterias and incorporate food waste reduction into the assessment of energy and resources conservation of government organs and the establishment of energy-saving government organs.

Article 19

Associations of food and catering industries shall strengthen industry self-discipline, develop and implement food waste reduction and other related group standards and industry self-regulatory norms, publicize and popularize food waste prevention knowledge, promote advanced models, guide members to consciously carry out food waste reduction activities, and take necessary self-disciplinary measures against members with wasteful behaviors.

Associations of food and catering industries shall carry out food waste monitoring, strengthen analysis and assessment, and annually publish work progress against food waste and the results of monitoring and assessment, provide support for state organs to develop laws, regulations, policies, and standards and conduct research on relevant issues, and accept public supervision.

Consumers associations and other consumers organizations shall strengthen consumer education on food consumption, and encourage consumers to form the habits of consciously resisting waste.

Article 20

Government organs, people's organizations, social organizations, enterprises, public institutions, and primary-level self-governance organizations shall incorporate practicing strict economy and combatting waste, as part of the public activities to raise cultural-ethical standards, into relevant role model evaluation systems, local codes of conduct for citizens and industry regulations, strengthen anti-food waste education and communication, promote the Clean Plate Campaign, advocate socially responsible, healthy and science-based dining culture, and enhance public awareness against food waste.

People's governments at or above the county level and their relevant authorities shall continue to organize anti-food waste publicity and education, and make it an important part of the National Food Security Awareness Week.

Article 21

Education authorities shall guide and urge schools to strengthen anti-food waste education and management.

Schools shall carry out education on national conditions in accordance with regulations, make practicing strict economy and combating waste part of education and teaching, and in the form of learning, practice, and labor experience, carry out anti-food waste education activities to train students to form the habit of practicing thrift and frugality and saving food.

Schools shall establish supervision and inspection mechanisms to prevent food waste and develop and implement appropriate incentives and penalties.

Article 22

The news media shall popularize anti-food waste laws, regulations, standards and knowledge, cover role models, expose waste problems, guide the public to establish the appropriate concept of food consumption, and conduct media supervision of food waste. Anti-food waste publicity and reporting shall be true and fair.

The production, release, and dissemination of competitive eating and binge-eating programs or audios and videos on food wasting shall be banned.

Where online audio and video service providers find that a user has violated the provisions of the preceding paragraph, they shall immediately stop transmitting relevant information. Where the circumstances are serious, they shall stop providing information services.

Article 23

Civil affairs authorities, market regulation authorities and other authorities under local people's governments at or above the county level shall establish demand matching mechanisms to guide food producers and operators to donate food to relevant social organizations, welfare institutions, relief agencies and other organizations or individuals on the premise of ensuring food safety. Relevant organizations shall receive and distribute food in a timely manner according to their needs.

The state encourages public participation in food donation activities. Online information service providers may set up platforms to provide services for food donations.

Article 24

Organizations, households, and individuals that generate food waste shall fulfill the obligations of food waste source reduction in accordance with the law.

Article 25

The state shall organize the monitoring of nutritional status and the universalization of nutrition knowledge to guide citizens to form good eating habits and reduce the risk of disease caused by unhealthy diets.

Article 26

People's governments at or above the county level shall take measures to support scientific research and technological development designed to prevent food waste.

Government procurement of relevant goods and services shall be conducive to the prevention of food waste.

The state implements a tax policy conducive to the prevention of food waste.

Article 27

Organizations and individuals have the right to report to relevant government departments and organs any act of food waste by food producers or operators. The government departments and organs that receive the reports shall deal with them in time in accordance with the law.

Article 28

Where, in violation of the provisions of this Law, a catering service operator does not take the initiative to remind diners not to waste food, it shall be ordered to make corrections and given a warning by the market regulation authorities of or a department designated by the local people's government at or above the county level.

Where, in violation of the provisions of this Law, a catering service operator deceives or misleads diners to overorder and cause obvious waste, it shall be ordered to make corrections and given a warning by the market regulation authorities of or a department designated by the local people's government at or above the county level. Where it refuses to make corrections, a fine of between RMB1,000 and RMB10,000 shall be imposed on it.

Where, in violation of the provisions of this Law, a food producer or operator causes a serious waste of food during the production and operation progress, it shall be ordered to make corrections by the market regulation authorities of or a department designated by the local people's government at or above the county level. Where it refuses to make corrections, a fine of between RMB5,000 and RMB50,000 shall be imposed on it.

Article 29

Where, in violation of the provisions of this Law, an organization having a cafeteria does not develop or implement measures to prevent food waste, it shall be ordered to make corrections and given a warning by a department designated by the local people's government at or above the county level.

Article 30

Where, in violation of the provisions of this Law, a radio station, television station, or online audio and video service provider produces, releases, disseminates, and promotes competitive eating and binge-eating programs or audios and videos on food wasting shall be ordered by the radio and TV authority and the cyberspace authority, in accordance with their respective responsibilities, to make corrections and given a warning. Where it refuses to make corrections or where the circumstances are serious, a fine of between RMB10,000 and RMB100,000 shall be imposed on it, and it may be ordered to suspend relevant business or suspend operation for rectification, and the leaders directly responsible and direct offenders shall be held legally liable in accordance with the law.

Article 31

The provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, cities divided into districts, and autonomous prefectures shall develop their specific local anti-food waste measures in accordance with their specific circumstances and practical needs.

Article 32

This Law shall come into force on the date of promulgation.

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