Extra efforts needed to save more food

Food loss and waste occur in every country. While the exact amount of food loss and waste in China is unknown, a study shows that roughly 19 percent of grains produced in the country is lost or wasted. For perishable foods such as vegetables and fruits, the percentage of loss and waste could be even higher. Annually, about $32 billion worth of food, which could feed 200 million people a year is lost, according to China's State Administration of Grain.

Besides, half of the 72.5 million tons of food China imported from January to October was lost because of poor storage and transportation methods. Food losses and waste incur high economic costs due to spoilage and inefficient use of resources, while contributing to hunger and malnutrition.

Such waste and loss of food are especially disturbing because China still has 150 million hungry people to feed. Child undernutrition is still a big challenge for China, nearly 10 percent of the country's children are stunted (a bellwether of undernutrition that results in debilitated physical and cognitive growth).

Food loss and waste put pressure on the country's agriculture system that has to feed 21 percent of the world's population with only 6 percent of its freshwater and 9 percent of arable land, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. In China, agriculture is often the most intensive user of scarce resources and a main contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. For example, agriculture is responsible for about 70 percent of China's water use, and under a business-as - usual trajectory, the country could face a 25 percent water supply gap by 2030. And accounting for 20 percent of the country's total GHG emissions, China's agriculture sector emits more GHGs than any other agriculture system in the world.

So, how can China reduce food loss and waste? Through a comprehensive approach. The "Clean Your Plate" campaign, which encourages Chinese people to save food in order to reduce wastage of food, is laudable. But more needs to be done.