The All-China Women's Federation holds a symposium with women entrepreneurs in the catering industry in Beijing on August 26. [China Women's News]

The All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) held a symposium with women entrepreneurs in the catering industry in Beijing on August 26, to study the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping and exchange opinions on how to give full play to the role of women and families in stopping food waste.

Huang Xiaowei, Secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group and Vice-President and First Member of the Secretariat of the ACFW, delivered a speech at the symposium.

Huang stressed giving full play to the advantages of the catering industry, and called for women and families to play their role in stopping food waste in daily life and contribute to fostering a social environment where waste is shameful and thriftiness is commended.

At the symposium, representatives of women entrepreneurs shared their experience in preventing food waste and gave relevant suggestions.

Yang Liu, Member of the Standing Committee of the ACWF and President of the World Federation of Chinese Catering Industry, and Song Xiaoxi, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Hospitality Association, launched an initiative to call for the catering companies to increase their sense of social responsibility, transform the modes of operation, strengthen refined management and publicize role models.

Yin Zhijun, chairperson of the board of a tea culture company based in Beijing, suggested that rejection of wasting food should be included in social education, and the idea of saving food should be inculcated in children's minds.

Yan Qi, Member of the Executive Committee of the ACWF and Chairperson of a food culture company based in Chongqing, introduced some methods of preventing food waste, including taking the lead in formulating the convention of preventing food waste, improving catering industry standards and focusing on innovative services.

Zhang Lijun, Vice-President of the China General Chamber of Commerce, analyzed the causes of food waste and gave suggestions on ending food waste through changing old customs and habits, promoting the transformation and upgrading of the catering industry and improving system standards.

Huang appreciated the patriotic spirit, the sense of responsibility and the deeds of women entrepreneurs who responded to the call and took practical measures to resist food waste. She said that diligence and thrift are good traditions of the CPC and a sign of social civilization and progress.

She hoped that women entrepreneurs in the catering industry should take the lead in stopping food waste and incorporate the idea of resisting food waste and promoting thrifty habits into the industry's entire process — procurement, storage, processing, sales and service. They were urged to promote the social custom of practicing thrift and opposing waste as well as to facilitate the enterprises' sustainable development.

The women's federations at all levels were urged to guide members of the executive committees, recipients of the honorary title of the March 8th Red-banner Holder and women role models at their posts in the catering industry to be role models of saving food.

Huang also urged the women's federations to influence and lead more women and families to inherit the virtues of diligence and thrift, practice a green lifestyle and contribute to maintaining national food security and promoting social civilization and progress.

Zhang Xiaolan, Vice-President and Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, also attended the event. Wu Haiying, Vice-President and Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, presided over the symposium.

Huang Xiaowei, Secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group and Vice-President and First Member of the Secretariat of the All-China Women's Federation, speaks at the symposium with women entrepreneurs in the catering industry on August 26. [China Women's News]

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