Lin Ping, senior reporter of The Paper
After the implementation of the Anti-Food Waste Law, scholars called on relevant departments to further refine the supporting regulations, formulate and improve the relevant supporting regulations as soon as possible, and dare to show the sword against the prohibitive norms that violate the law.
Recently, Sun Youhai, dean of the Law School of Tianjin University, wrote an article in the 10th issue of Environmental Protection in 2021 commenting on the legislative achievements of the anti-food waste law. He believes that this law brings the civilized requirements of strict economy and opposition to waste into the track of the rule of law, which is conducive to transforming the fine tradition of thrift and thrift into people's emotional identity and behavior habits. At the same time, he also suggested that further efforts be concentrated, and the drafting of the "Food Security Law" should be stepped up to promote the early promulgation of this law.
The Paper notes that the 28th Session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress voted and passed the Anti-Food Waste Law of the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the Anti-Food Waste Law) on April 29, 2021, which came into force on the date of promulgation. Since then, anti-food waste is no longer just advocacy, there are laws in force.
As a consultant expert on the drafting of the Anti-Food Waste Law of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Sun Youhai discussed the necessity and feasibility of formulating the Anti-Food Waste Law and its great significance, expounded the guiding ideology and principles of formulating the Anti-Food Waste Law, explained the main systems and measures in the Law, and also put forward suggestions on how to cherish the legislative achievements of the Anti-Food Waste Law and fully promote the effective implementation of the Law.
He believes that the formulation of the anti-food waste law, the effective practice of economy and anti-waste policies formed in China over the years in practice into legal provisions, clarify the legal basis for stopping food waste, give play to the leading and normative role of the law, clarify the responsibilities of relevant subjects, and establish a long-term working mechanism, which can establish the basic code of conduct for catering consumption and daily food consumption for the whole society.
In his view, in this special legislation, how to deal with the relationship between the special anti-food waste legislation and the "Food Security Law" legislation has become one of the hot issues of concern, "although the formulation of the Food Security Law is also included in the legislative plan of the 13th National People's Congress Standing Committee, but the scope of its adjustment is relatively wide, involved by various stakeholders, and it needs to continue to coordinate, so it is difficult to introduce it for a while."
"Therefore, it is a correct legislative strategy to first formulate an anti-food waste law and then issue a complete food security law when the time is ripe." Sun Youhai said that "first easy and then difficult" and "mature one, introduce one" has become an important successful experience in China's legislative work. This anti-food waste legislation focuses on the problem of food waste and solves the people's livelihood problems that the people are extremely concerned about. Although its "incision" is small, it involves a hair and moves the whole body.
According to reports, in order to comprehensively promote the construction of the system for stopping food waste, the NPC Standing Committee has adhered to the following principles in the legislative work against food waste: First, through legislation to cultivate and practice the core socialist values, inherit and develop the fine traditions of the Chinese nation, create an atmosphere of shameful waste and pride in saving in the whole society, and provide a strong legal guarantee for safeguarding national food security. Simply put, the core values are the standards of right and wrong and the code of conduct that a certain social group judges about social affairs. The formulation of the Anti-Food Waste Law, the civilized requirements of strict economy and opposition to waste into the rule of law track, and the leading role of the socialist core values in the creation of national education and spiritual civilization are conducive to transforming the fine tradition of thrift and thrift into people's emotional identity and behavior habits.
The second is to accurately grasp the legislative positioning, highlight the key points, focus on food consumption in view of the prominent problems that the masses have strongly reacted to in practice, fight waste, promote conservation, and strictly control in the sales process, and handle the relationship with the "Food Security Law" and other relevant laws that are being drafted. The special legislation against food waste is not to replace the formulation of the "Food Security Law" and other relevant laws, but to concentrate on solving the outstanding problems of large amounts of food waste and responding to the people's ardent expectations in a timely manner. After the promulgation of the anti-food waste law, we must further concentrate our efforts on the drafting of the "Food Security Law" and promote the early promulgation of this law of great strategic significance.
The third is to pay equal attention to standardization and guidance, focus on establishing a long-term mechanism against food waste, strengthen the supervision of food waste behavior, adhere to the unity and promotion of the rule of law and the rule of virtue, and enhance the public's awareness of anti-food waste. Judging from the requirements for the establishment of a long-term mechanism, the various anti-food waste system measures established in this special legislation are all part of the establishment of a long-term anti-food waste mechanism. Moreover, these institutional measures are not only on paper, but include strengthening the supervision of food waste behavior, actively advocating a civilized, healthy and scientific food culture, adhering to the organic unity of the rule of law and the rule of virtue, enhancing the awareness of anti-food waste in the whole society, and forming a dynamic system of anti-food waste. The NPC Standing Committee adhered to the above correct legislative guiding ideology and legislative principles, ensured that the anti-food waste legislation completed its tasks as scheduled, and handed over a satisfactory answer sheet to the people of the whole country.
"The achievements of legislation have not been easy to come by and should be cherished." Sun Youhai also suggested that the relevant state departments should further strengthen the publicity and education against food waste and create a social atmosphere in which saving is glorious and waste is shameful; relevant departments and localities need to further refine supporting regulations and formulate and improve relevant supporting regulations as soon as possible. For those who violate the prohibitive norms of the law and continue to waste food, we must dare to show our swords, punish according to law, and earnestly safeguard the dignity of the law, so as to ensure the effective implementation of the anti-food waste law and promote the legislative goals of the anti-food waste law to be fully realized.
Editor-in-Charge: Zhong Yuhao Photo Editor: Jin Jie
Proofreader: Liu Wei