Liu Min (R), a member of the Executive Committee of the Women's Federation of Liangpeng Village, hands out leaflets calling for food saving to customers in the village in Anji County, East China's Zhejiang Province. [Anji Women's Federation]

In line with General Secretary Xi Jinping's remarks in an instruction on ending food waste and promoting thrift, which was released on August 11, the Women's Federation of Anji County, Huzhou City, East China's Zhejiang Province, took a series of actions guiding women and families to stop wasting food and promote thrifty habits.

Liu Min, a member of the Executive Committee of the Women's Federation of Liangpeng Village, in Anji County, has been busy publicizing food saving recently. Wearing a red waistcoat, she shuttles between the town's restaurants.

"Please serve steamed rice according to the number of guests," Liu says every time she enters a restaurant. "Serving rice in a big basin would be wasted. I suggested the restaurant serve three or four people with half a basin of rice, five or six people with more than half of a basin, one person with one bowl or half a bowl, which can avoid food waste." She also handed out leaflets calling for food saving to the owners and customers.

"As a cadre of the village's women's federation, I should do my best to stop the food waste behaviors," Liu added.

Women volunteers publicize food saving from door to door. [Anji Women's Federation]

In Anji County, more than 1,000 women volunteers have been mobilized to publicize food saving and rational ordering as advocators.

"We have taken two major actions to stop food waste," said Weng Jianying, the owner of a restaurant in Daxi Village, Tianhuangping Town. "On the one hand, we will set the food standard with customers from other places in advance, and serve the corresponding dishes according to their numbers. On the other hand, after ordering, the customers will be advised to subtract one dish from the ordered menu, but we will  serve it if they find not enough after finishing other dishes."

Small portions of food in a homestay in Anji County, East China's Zhejiang Province [Anji Women's Federation]

In Tianzihu Town, a homestay changed the previous large orders of dishes to individual meals as needed. At the same time, it introduced "half portions" for all dishes. The action allows guests to order on demand, creating more choices and less waste.

"We now use the small plates instead of the big ones to avoid food waste. We also remind customers to pack up food," said the owner of a homestay.

Meanwhile, many role model families provided solutions to boost food saving, including the "N minus 1 principle" (three people are recommended to order two dishes and four people are suggested to order three dishes). They advocate spilting the bills for family dinners, using small plates, setting plans before cooking, and using vouchers to reward customers who can finish their dishes.

A rewards lottery box for food saving in a homestay in Anji County, East China's Zhejiang Province [Anji Women's Federation]

(Source: China Women's News/Translated and edited by Women of China)