Annual statistics and forecasts of the incidence and number of undernourishment in the world
"The phenomenon of food waste is shocking and distressing!" Recently, General Secretary Xi Jinping issued important instructions to stop food waste, emphasizing effective measures to establish a long-term mechanism to resolutely stop food waste.
"Strictly frugal and oppose waste" is a social fashion that General Secretary Xi Jinping has always advocated. As early as 2013, General Secretary Xi Jinping issued important instructions, emphasizing that "the wind of waste must be stopped." Since then, it has repeatedly emphasized to effectively curb various violations of regulations, disciplines and laws in the consumption of public funds, and put forward clear requirements for the problems of food waste in some schools and lack of students' sense of frugality.
Grain production has been harvested year after year, and the people have a good food and clothing. Why should we emphasize the establishment of crisis awareness, put food security in a prominent position, and do not relax in grasping food production? Why should we repeatedly ring the alarm to eliminate waste?
my country’s grain production and consumption have been in "tight balance" for a long time
Since the founding of New China, especially since the reform and opening up, the lives of our people have undergone earth-shaking changes. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, my country's grain output has grown steadily, and the Chinese people's rice bowl has become more stable. According to statistics, since 2010, my country's per capita food consumption has continued to be higher than the world average. In 2019, it exceeded 470 kg, which is far higher than the international food security standard of 400 kg per capita. The domestic self-sufficiency rate of the three major rations of rice, wheat, and corn averaged over 97%.
"Food is the heaven for the people, and food is the first." Food security is related to the national economy and people's livelihood. Behind successive bumper harvests and self-sufficiency is that my country's grain consumption is still growing faster than output, and grain production and consumption have been in a "tight balance" state for a long time. Therefore, we must always have a crisis awareness of food security. For a large country with a population of 1.4 billion, any small waste is a staggering number. Only by insisting on paying close attention to grain production, saving money and opposing waste, can we truly have the confidence to hold our job well.
Even more soberly, our country is still the world’s largest developing country, and its per capita GDP is still around 70 in the world. At present, economic operations are facing greater pressure, and poverty alleviation is in the decisive stage of decisive victory, and many have to do with the people. Urgent events for well-being require a lot of investment; the international situation is changing, and it is necessary to seek its own development in a more unstable and uncertain world... At this time when the historical confluence of the "two centenary" goals is achieved, it is especially important not to be lavish , Extravagance and waste, throw away the "heirloom" of hard work, diligence and thrift.
7% of the world’s arable land feeds 20% of the world’s population
As the world’s largest and most populous developing country, China uses only 7% of the world’s arable land and feeds 20% of the world’s population, creating a miracle that has attracted worldwide attention.
The "Food Security in China" white paper issued by the State Council Information Office in October 2019 shows that in recent years, my country has more than needed rice and wheat production and is fully self-sufficient. Imports and exports are mainly based on varieties. From 2001 to 2018, rice and wheat varieties together accounted for less than 6% of the total food imported annually.
Relevant persons in charge of the State Bureau of Grain and Material Reserves told reporters that at present, my country’s grain crops are harvested year after year, stocks are abundant, supplies are sufficient, the market is stable, and the food security situation continues to improve.
"By implementing the new food security concept of'basically self-sufficiency in grains and absolute safety in rations', implementing the strategy of storing grain on the ground and storing grain on technology, and continue to deepen the structural reforms on the agricultural supply side, grain production has achieved a historic '16' Lianfeng’s grain output has reached more than 1.3 trillion catties for five consecutive years.” The person in charge said.
In the case of the new crown pneumonia epidemic before and the floods and droughts afterwards, China’s summer grain harvest this year reached 285.6 billion catties, a year-on-year increase of 0.9%, a record high, and once again strengthened the “Chinese rice bowl”. Confidence and confidence.
However, in the medium and long term, China's grain production and demand will remain in a "tight balance" situation, and the string of ensuring national food security cannot be relaxed for a moment.
Migrating to cities has reduced the number of farmers engaged in agricultural production year by year
The current total rural population in my country is approximately 560 million. The level of intensification of agricultural production is not high, and the small-scale peasant economy is the main economy, and the income is not high. With the acceleration of urbanization, a large number of working-age laborers have left the countryside to work in cities, and the number of farmers willing to engage in agricultural production has decreased year by year.
No. 13 Village, Nanhao Town, Shangyi County, located on the dam of Hebei, was once a "hollow village." "The houses are dilapidated and leaky, and the streets are dirty and chaotic. When it rains, shoes will get stuck on the road." Talking about the village's previous environment, the villagers waved their hands again and again.
The poor living environment, lack of medicine and lack of medicine, and inconvenience to school have caused many villagers to move out one after another. In 2013, there were only 41 people left in the original village of more than 200 people, all of whom were old, weak, sick and disabled. Of the 193 homesteads in the village, more than 140 are idle and damaged, and abandoned farmland accounts for half of the village's farmland area. Later, relying on tourism on the burning dam, the 13th village was able to rejuvenate and the original villagers also returned here.
Not all villages are suitable for this route. According to a comprehensive survey conducted by the Ministry of Civil Affairs in 2016, there are more than 16 million rural left-behind elderly in my country. Out of concerns about the lack of successors in agricultural production, "who will grow the land" is still a common concern.
In addition, some data show that my country uses 33% of the world's chemical fertilizers to produce 25% of the world's food. Excessive dependence and irregular use of chemical fertilizers may cause soil pollution and deterioration of the agricultural ecological environment, which is not conducive to the long-term development of agricultural production.
Some experts believe that from the perspective of demand situation, with economic and social development, per capita ration consumption will steadily drop slightly, feed and industrial conversion grain consumption will continue to increase, total grain consumption will increase rigidly, and grain consumption structure will continue to upgrade. From the perspective of the production situation, the cost of agricultural production is still rising, the carrying capacity of resources and the environment is tightening, the agricultural infrastructure is relatively weak, the ability to resist disasters and mitigation needs to be improved, and there is greater pressure for stable development of food production. From the perspective of the circulation situation, grain production will continue to be concentrated in core production areas, cross-regional grain circulation will further increase, and the risk of sharp fluctuations in the grain market still exists.
The per capita food waste rate in China's catering industry reaches 11.7%
On the one hand, there is tight supply and hidden worries; on the other hand, it is the worldwide problem of food waste. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's "2019 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World" report, about one-third of the world's food is lost and wasted every year, totaling about 1.3 billion tons per year.
For a large country with a population of 1.4 billion, the issue of food waste cannot be underestimated. According to previous data estimates, my country’s annual losses and waste caused by grain storage, transportation and processing alone are as high as 70 billion jin.
The relevant person in charge of the State Bureau of Grain and Material Reserves told reporters that in recent years, post-production losses and waste of grain have been reduced. In the storage link, accelerate the construction of a grain post-production service center, and guide the storage and refined management of grading and silo; in the circulation link, extensive use of mechanical ventilation, grain cooling, circulation fumigation, grain condition monitoring and control of grain storage "four in one" technology , To promote green grain storage and information management technology to reduce the loss of the circulation process; in the processing link, organize food scientific research institutions and enterprises to carry out the research and development of key technology and equipment such as bulk rice and flour products and appropriate processing of oilseeds. Reasonably formulate process and product standards to reduce excessive processing The loss caused.
In contrast, the consumption link of the table is the bulk. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the revenue of the catering industry reached 4.67 trillion yuan in 2019, an increase of 9.4% over the previous year. Behind the vigorous development of the huge industry, the amount of food waste is also staggering.
In 2015, the research team of the Chongqing Investigation Team of the National Bureau of Statistics wrote an article "China's Food Supply and Demand and Trends in the 13th Five-Year Plan" period. The needs of 350 million people a year.
The "Report on Food Waste in Chinese Urban Food and Drink" jointly issued by the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the World Wide Fund for Nature is more representative. From 2012 to 2015, the research team visited 366 restaurants in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Lhasa. The survey found that the per capita food waste in China's catering industry is 93 grams per person per meal, and the waste rate is 11.7%. Among them, large restaurants, tourist groups, elementary and middle school student groups, and official dinners are the "severe disaster areas" for food waste. Large gatherings waste 38%, and one third of student lunches are thrown away.
A bowl of rice dumped casually not only wastes food, but also precious natural resources. The more food is wasted, the more water and land resources are consumed. For the job of 1.4 billion people, even if the land is "tired", it is difficult to fallow; every kilogram of grain produced consumes 800 kilograms of water. When water for economic and social development is very tight, irrigation water still has to be "squeezed out" by every means.
The environmental pollution caused by food waste should also not be underestimated. Incompletely classified kitchen waste, landfill may pollute the soil and groundwater, and incineration will pollute the atmosphere and produce carcinogens. Experts said that avoiding food waste can immediately alleviate many problems, which can not only reduce the impact of agriculture on the environment, but also save resources required for food production, and promote local, regional, and global food safety.
265 million people worldwide face severe food insecurity
Due to the increase in unstable factors such as the new crown pneumonia epidemic, international relations, natural disasters, etc., the world's food supply is full of variables, and the international food market is surging. A report jointly issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and other agencies shows that the new crown pneumonia epidemic has caused a significant increase in the number of hungry people. This year, the number of people facing severe food insecurity in the world may increase from 135 million to 265 million.
Since this year, the United Nations has repeatedly warned of food crises. Recently, the United Nations issued another report stating that a total of 25 countries are facing severe hunger risks this year, and the world is on the verge of the worst food crisis in at least 50 years. It is estimated that 690 million people in the world will be hungry, and the number of people in extreme poverty affected by the epidemic may increase by 49 million.
Sun Zhilu, an associate researcher at the Institute of Agricultural Economics and Development of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, believes that the "human element" is the top priority in agricultural production, processing, and circulation, so the epidemic has particularly severe impact on agriculture. "Once the agricultural supply chain is broken, it is difficult to recover."
Even in countries with abundant food resources, the industrial chain is facing a crisis of rupture.
Due to supply chain disruptions and subsequent panic purchases, wheat prices in the international market have risen by 8% compared to March last year, and rice prices have risen by 25%. Some countries have already responded to this. As one of the major wheat exporters, Russia announced restrictions on wheat exports in early April to ensure domestic demand for grain and its processed products. Such export restrictions have further increased the prices of international food markets.
Since the end of last year, locust plagues have occurred one after another in many parts of the world, causing disasters to East Africa, the Middle East, and India. There are also severe natural disasters such as the Australian wildfire, which has increased the uncertainty of the global supply of agricultural products and caused fluctuations in the food market.
"The epidemic has had a full impact on global food production and demand, and the locust plague in some countries affected food production, which may worsen global food market expectations, creating a panic effect of panic buying, selling restrictions and poor logistics in various countries, leading to a surge in international food prices. "Tongji University distinguished professor Cheng Guoqiang said.
Continue to create an atmosphere of shameful waste and pride in saving
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, various regions and departments have adopted measures such as issuing relevant documents and launching the "CD Action" to vigorously rectify the trend of waste, and "waste on the tip of the tongue" has changed. In particular, in response to the public's strong complaints about the waste of public funds and catering, the "Regulations on the Administration of Domestic Official Reception of Party and Government Organs" and the "Regulations on Strict Economy and Opposing Waste by Party and Government Organs" have been formulated and related actions have been effectively curbed.
Relevant departments are implementing the spirit of the important instructions of General Secretary Jinping, formulating and implementing more powerful measures, and pushing the whole society to advance the work of preventing food waste. The catering industry is also taking active actions, advocating the social fashion of "strict economy and opposing waste" and guiding consumers to eliminate waste.
On the evening of August 11, the Wuhan Catering Industry Association issued a proposal to implement the "N-1" ordering model, half-dish portion dishes, provision of packing boxes, public spoons and chopsticks, safe dining, no cooking of Yangtze River fish, etc. Wasteful measures.
On the same day, the Zhengzhou Catering and Hotel Industry Association also issued an initiative to advocate the dining culture of “order the right amount of food and pack the leftovers” and the use of “public chopsticks system and double chopsticks system”. Promoter, practitioner and supervisor of "civilized dining".
"When ordering food, we will remind the number of orders based on the number of customers. After customers have finished their meal, if there are still food left, we will also take the initiative to ask if they need a package service." Xibei Noodle Village Beijing Hualian Charity West Bridge Jin Chunge, the manager of the shopping center store, told reporters that since this year, in the context of the impact of the epidemic, customers who come to dine will also pay attention to moderate consumption.
To further stop food waste, make thrifty a habit, and play a combination punch. Experts believe that it is necessary to take a multi-pronged approach to different individuals. For consumers, it is necessary to introduce a disciplinary system to regulate catering behaviors and punish wasteful behavior; for catering companies, it is necessary to strengthen supervision, take effective measures, and establish a rigid long-term mechanism. The white paper "Food Security in China" proposes to vigorously carry out publicity and education activities, enhance the awareness of loving food and saving food, curb unreasonable consumption demand, and reduce "waste on the table."
"Who knows that Chinese food is hard." The relevant person in charge of the State Bureau of Grain and Material Reserves said that it is necessary to continue to use the "World Food Day and National Food Security Awareness Week" and "National Food Science and Technology Week" and other activities through the delivery Grain and oil science popularizes activities in communities, families, schools, and military camps, vigorously advocates scientific and civilized consumption methods, and continues to create a strong atmosphere of "cherishing the glory of food and shameful waste of food". (Our reporter Liu Tingfei Jiang Yongbin)