To combat food waste, a Chinese restaurant required its customers to weigh themselves before entering. An attitude that caused a real uproar on the Web!
As part of a nationwide campaign against food waste, a restaurant in Changsha, central China, required its customers to weigh themselves before entering. The establishment thus found itself under fire from critics. Internet users quickly expressed their indignation as soon as this new restaurant policy was implemented. Upon arrival, customers had to stand on a bathroom scale and then enter their personal details on an app. According to state media China News Service, they were then recommended the food to choose according to their weight and the calorific value of the dishes.
Chinese President Xi Jinping calls on his fellow citizens to stop food waste as the price of food skyrockets following the coronavirus pandemic and floods that recently ravaged the country. Thus, regional catering services recommend their customers to order one dish less than the number of people at the table in order to avoid ordering excess food for group meals.
The Changsha restaurant, however, went too far in trying to promote a "Empty plate operation ". "Be thrifty and conscientious, favor empty plates", affirmed the establishment. Very quickly, the photos of this campaign of the restaurant went viral on social networks. Faced with the criticisms, the establishment apologized for its interpretation of the anti-waste campaign by saying it is deeply sorry . "Our original intentions were to advocate an end to waste, and to promote healthy food orders. We never made customers weigh themselves," he said in a letter of apology posted online Saturday morning.
In the face of waste, Chinese state media have also declared war on food orgies videos called "mukbang", a well-established tradition in China. Live streaming platforms have certified they will shut down accounts promoting overeating and food waste.