Wang Shenghang, Liu Dongxu, Sheng Jiping
Data Application and Data Governance Innovation Team for the Implementation of Strategy on Comprehensive Law-Based Governance, School of Law, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China.
School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China.
Foods. 2024 Dec 6;13(23):3940. doi: 10.3390/foods13233940.
In recent years, despite global improvements in development, food scarcity and waste remain critical issues impacting food security, human health, and environmental sustainability. China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs reports that China's food loss and waste rate is approximately 22.7%, amounting to 460 million tons annually, with the consumption and post-harvest processing stages facing the highest losses. To address these issues, China enacted the Anti-Food Waste Law in 2021, aiming to reduce food waste through clear responsibilities, incentives, and penalties for government agencies and relevant stakeholders. While scholars note that the law represents a significant shift from moral to legal governance in tackling food waste, some argue that its provisions lack sufficient specificity. This article assesses the effectiveness of China's anti-food waste legislation using case studies and comparative analyses, highlighting the challenges in defining and implementing the law within China's cultural framework, where food signifies abundance and prosperity. Additionally, the article explores successful international practices, including the 2030 Champions Program and similar efforts in Europe and Japan, to inform China's strategy. The key recommendations for policy improvement include strengthening accountability and governance, establishing a food hierarchy for sustainable resource management, enhancing data collection on food waste, promoting food donation mechanisms, and transitioning from a solely government-led regulatory approach to a multi-dimensional co-regulation model.
近年来，尽管全球发展有所改善，但粮食短缺和浪费仍是影响粮食安全、人类健康和环境可持续性的关键问题。中国农业农村部报告称，中国的粮食损失和浪费率约为22.7%，每年达4.6亿吨，消费和收获后加工阶段面临的损失最高。为解决这些问题，中国于2021年颁布了《反食品浪费法》，旨在通过明确政府机构和相关利益攸关方的责任、激励措施和处罚来减少食品浪费。虽然学者们指出，该法律标志着在解决食品浪费问题上从道德治理向法律治理的重大转变，但也有人认为其条款缺乏足够的具体性。本文通过案例研究和比较分析评估中国反食品浪费立法的有效性，突出在中国文化框架内界定和实施该法律的挑战，在中国文化中，食物象征着富足和繁荣。此外，本文还探讨了成功的国际做法，包括2030冠军计划以及欧洲和日本的类似努力，以为中国的战略提供参考。政策改进的关键建议包括加强问责制和治理、建立可持续资源管理的食品分级制度、加强食品浪费数据收集、推广食品捐赠机制，以及从单纯由政府主导的监管方式转变为多维度的共同监管模式。
