The message what the “Eat up All on Your Plate” campaign tries to convey is not new. Our ancestors had poems about the importance of frugality (节俭) in the consumption of food. But it makes a lot of sense when many are yet to have the awareness that food waste borders on a crime.

The campaign has been started online and thousands of people have answered the call. Many restaurants have joined the program by announcing that customers are encouraged to order half a dish and take home what they canˈt finish.

However, it is estimated (估计) that 50 million tons of grain are wasted every year in China, enough to feed 200 million people for a year.

True, official banquets (宴席) paid with public money contribute much to such waste. But it is important that everyone thinks about how they can do their bit to reduce food waste. We need to develop the habit of never ordering or cooking more than we can eat and feeling guilty when we dump our leftovers.

Many people have a bad habit of entertaining guests with more than enough food, believing that they have not satisfied their guestsˈ appetites if there is no food left on the table. In fact, to be a good host they order more than their guests can possibly eat and their guests eat more than they want out of politeness.

Such a mentality needs to change. People need to be made aware that it is impolite to force guests to eat more than they are comfortable with and it is insensible and uncivilized to waste food. Even if one is wealthy, ordering more than one can eat is a bad way to show off oneˈs wealth.