Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, January 31st: Wedding banquets, business banquets, luxury hotels..."Waste on the tip of the tongue" still happens from time to time
Xinhua News Agency "Xinhua Viewpoint" reporter
In recent years, saving food and advocating CDs have become a social consensus.
However, a reporter from "Xinhua Viewpoint" conducted investigations in Shanghai, Shanxi, Guangdong and other places before and after the Spring Festival and found that "waste on the tip of the tongue" still occurs from time to time in wedding banquets, business banquets, and luxury hotels.
Wedding banquets, buffets, and luxury hotels are the "hardest-hit areas" of waste
The reporter recently visited high-end hotel restaurants in Shanghai, Shanxi, Guangdong and other places, and found that food waste still occurs from time to time.
Among them, wedding banquets and buffets are the "hardest-hit areas" of waste, and the waste rate of pastries, cold dishes and other types of food is relatively high.
The reporter saw in the cafeteria of the JW Marriott Hotel in Shanghai Tomorrow Square a few days ago that there was still a lot of food left in the pick-up area as it was approaching the closing time.
The reporter observed that on some tables, consumers left a lot of food.
A staff member of the cafeteria told reporters that all uneaten food that day will be thrown away and will not be kept until the next day.
In order to reduce food waste, the restaurant will estimate the approximate amount of ingredients based on the number of guests staying in the restaurant, but it is difficult to be precise.
The reporter saw at the Garden Holiday Hotel in Xiaodian District, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province a few days ago that a wedding banquet was being held at noon that day. There were more than 30 round tables in the hall, and the guests were full.
As the wedding drew to a close, the guests gradually left.
The waste of meals on the table is serious, with more than 70% of the meals remaining on two-thirds of the tables.
Salt-baked chicken, noodles, steamed buns... Except for some guests who took abalone and other seafood away, most of the leftovers were ignored, and many fruit drinks that had been opened and had more than half a bottle left were thrown on the table.
In a seafood restaurant in Guangzhou, the reporter saw that at the end of the wedding banquet, some diners took away staple food, drinks, etc., while most of the dishes such as boiled chicken and steamed fish were left.
A staff member of a hotel in Shanxi said: "A wedding banquet is a major event in life. Usually, relatives and friends will be invited. For the sake of face, the host's food must be rich. For this reason, the restaurant provides set meals ranging from 1,888 yuan to 5,888 yuan per table. It can be customized without a cap, and the higher-priced set menu includes tiger spot, king crab, Buddha jumping over the wall, etc. Each table has 8 cold dishes and 10 hot dishes, and there are usually more than enough to eat, and there are often some left over.”
In mid-January, near the closing time, there was a lot of food left at the dining counter of a luxury hotel cafeteria in Shanghai.
Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hu Jiefei
Mostly it is a matter of "face"
Many consumers say that waste of wedding banquets is more common because of the consideration of face.
Mr. Ren, a wedding organizer in Shanxi, said frankly: "I also feel sorry for the wasted food. But if I don't order a few more dishes, I worry about the guests' comments. Marriage is a big event, so I have to follow the custom, rather more than less."
A lot of waste in business banquets is also because of face.
Some consumers told reporters that after the banquet is over, they often don’t pack it. The host is afraid that the guests will laugh at him for being stingy and unhappy;
In mid-January, leftovers on the table of a restaurant in Taiyuan, Shanxi.
Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shen Feng
During the interview, the reporter found that although half-serving meals, single-person meals, and take-out boxes have become common practices in the catering industry to save food, it is still difficult to promote them in luxury hotels.
Luxury hotels have unified standards for service quality and hotel environment. Hotels rarely post or display food-saving publicity materials, and service personnel rarely have the habit of reminding them to save food.
In addition, the reporter found that there are still a small number of people who regard eating, drinking, extravagance and waste as a sign of status and high-level consumption, and think that how to consume is their own freedom.
Manager Zhang of the food and beverage department of a five-star hotel in Shanghai said: "People who come here are often consumers with higher incomes and don't care much about money; if you repeatedly remind them to save money, some customers will show disgusted attitudes, and we are worried that it will affect the reputation of the hotel. "
Promote the renewal of concepts and promote the implementation of laws
Chen Xinhua, president of the China Hotel Association, and other industry insiders believe that with the adjustment of the epidemic prevention and control policy, the catering industry in various places is currently recovering, and the "waste on the tip of the tongue" in some places has returned to its old state.
Conservation awareness must be further strengthened to reduce food waste.
The key to opposing food waste lies in the renewal of people's ideas.
Cheng Gang, secretary-general of the Guangdong Catering Service Industry Association, pointed out that more consumers should realize that developing frugal and moderate dining habits can not only save money, but also reflect the rationality and civilization of modern society.
It is necessary to vigorously create an atmosphere of honoring saving and shameful waste in the whole society, and strengthen publicity at the level of schools, families, and even enterprises and units.
The reporter learned that the "Anti-Food Waste Law of the People's Republic of China" has been implemented in April 2021, and has put forward specific requirements for preventing food waste from relevant competent authorities, catering service operators, catering takeaway platforms, and individuals.
For example, if meals are required for weddings and funerals, gatherings of friends and families, business activities, etc., the organizers and participants should prepare and order meals appropriately, and eat in a civilized and healthy manner.
Xing Yuan, a professor at the School of Philosophy and Sociology of Shanxi University, believes that from a social psychological point of view, many consumers are influenced by group culture and tend to follow the crowd and follow the trend of consumption.
Relevant departments and the media should guide the public to establish a sense of conservation and advocate rational consumption, and relevant law enforcement and supervision work should also be detailed and followed up.
Cheng Gang said that food waste in banquets is a persistent problem.
On the one hand, it is necessary to strengthen publicity and guidance to consumers, and on the other hand, it is necessary to solve problems on the enterprise side.
At the end of January, in a high-end restaurant in Shanghai, there were still leftovers on the table after the banquet was over.
Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hu Jiefei
Chen Xinhua and other industry insiders told reporters that some large chain catering companies have improved their operating levels through methods such as centralized material preparation to reduce loss, on-demand processing to improve utilization, and strengthening warehouse management to reduce waste of expired ingredients.
In addition, catering companies can strengthen digital management, conduct statistical analysis around the amount of food ordered and the amount of leftovers, redesign menus, strengthen the combination and full utilization of various ingredients, adjust the weight of each dish, and explore and promote the sharing of ingredient resources.
(Reporters Wang Chenyang, Hu Jiefei, Li Ziwei, Ma Xiaoyuan, Shen Feng, Deng Ruixuan)