What does the idiom 'If you can’t eat it, you’ll have to carry it away in your pocket' mean?

It’s time to take seriously the rampant phenomena of forced purchases, food waste at banquets, and discarding of fruits and vegetables. Curbing food waste in catering services requires both public education and advocacy as well as legal constraints. On December 22, the draft of the Anti-Food Waste Law was submitted for its first review to the Standing Committee of the 13th National People’s Congress. Comprising 32 articles, the draft defines key terms, outlines principles and requirements for combating food waste, specifies responsibilities of governments and relevant departments, delineates duties of various stakeholders, prescribes regulatory measures, and stipulates legal liabilities. The draft stipulates that if a food service provider induces or misleads consumers into ordering excessive amounts of food—resulting in obvious waste—the local market regulation or commerce authority at the county level or above shall order rectification and issue a warning; refusal to comply will incur a fine ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 RMB. Food and catering industry associations shall strengthen self-regulation and formulate and implement relevant group standards and industry self-disciplinary norms in accordance with law. 【Why does China need legislation against food waste?】 According to the 2019 report 'China Urban Catering Food Waste Report', annual food waste on dining tables in China’s catering sector alone reaches as high as 18 million tons—equivalent to one year’s worth of food for 50 million people—with per capita waste averaging 96 grams per meal and a staggering waste rate of 11.3%. If you remain blissfully immersed in the good news of China’s bumper grain harvest in 2020, remember this saying: 'When the nest is overturned, how can any egg remain unbroken?' China is the world’s most populous country. Even though its grain self-sufficiency rate has exceeded 95%, it still imports over 100 million tons of grain annually from abroad. This year, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, many grain-exporting countries—including Thailand—suddenly halted or restricted grain exports to safeguard domestic supplies. From January to August 2020, China imported 87.44 million tons of grain—a 21.8% increase year-on-year. 【Which other countries are taking action against food waste?】 A UK study found that standardizing food ‘best before’ date labels could reduce food waste by 20%. ‘Best before’ dates printed on food packaging typically reflect manufacturers’ estimates of optimal flavor or quality—not food safety—and yet frequently mislead consumers.

What are the two main approaches to tackling food waste, and why are Europe and North America considered the worst offenders?

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 'food loss' refers to food that spoils before reaching retail shelves—occurring early in the supply chain, including during post-harvest handling, processing, and distribution. Causes of food loss may include poor crop yields, livestock deaths, leakage, transport problems, and inadequate storage. Food loss occurs predominantly in developing countries; for instance, lack of reliable cold-chain storage technology remains a major challenge in many developing nations—and a significant contributor to food loss. In contrast, 'food waste' refers to edible food discarded before being consumed. This typically occurs downstream in the supply chain—mainly at restaurants, retail supermarkets, and households—i.e., at the consumer end. At the consumer level, food waste encompasses unsold inventory in supermarkets, unused ingredients and prepared dishes in restaurants, and food thrown away by ordinary households. Currently, most food waste globally occurs in Europe and North America. The UN estimates per capita food waste in Europe and North America at 95–115 kg/year—dramatically higher than the 6–11 kg/year recorded in sub-Saharan Africa and South/Southeast Asia. Overall, 40% of food waste in developing countries occurs during post-harvest handling and processing, whereas over 40% of food waste in developed countries occurs at the retail and consumer levels. Both 'food waste' and 'food loss' entail economic, environmental, and social consequences. Although there is some overlap between them, they require distinct solutions—making it critically important to understand their differences. Europe and North America top global food waste rankings—and thus bear heavy responsibility for combating it. As one of the world’s largest wasters, the United States saw its 2012 report on food waste by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) become one of the most powerful catalysts for change in recent years. Since its release, both the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency have jointly announced a national goal to cut food waste by 50% by 2030—the first such target in U.S. history. At least in developed countries, most anti-food-waste initiatives over the past 12 months have focused on household kitchens—the stage where the greatest volume of food waste occurs. Compared to just a few years ago, curbing household food waste has become an industry priority in 2020, with tech companies, agri-food enterprises, and numerous other organizations actively educating consumers about their food-waste habits. A striking 74% of surveyed consumers say fighting food waste is important to them. Household food waste is a three-part problem rooted in low awareness of waste, insufficient knowledge and skills related to home cooking, and the influence of convenience-driven economics on consumer behavior. Key drivers of household food waste include supermarket retail practices, recipe formats, inconsistent date labeling, and a lack of intelligent storage solutions for retail surplus and leftover meals. The refrigerator itself may be one of the biggest contributors to food waste. In the future, appliance manufacturers will need to fundamentally redesign refrigerators—and other kitchen appliances—to help consumers combat food waste.

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