Saving food has a bearing on the national economy and people's livelihood
Food security is the "great thing of the country", and saving food is the traditional virtue of the Chinese nation and an important measure to ensure national food security. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core has attached great importance to the work of saving food and reducing food loss, and has taken a series of important measures to reduce food loss and waste. It is necessary to vigorously carry forward the spirit of diligence and thrift, adhere to problem-oriented and systematic thinking, and make persistent and long-term achievements, so as to create and carry forward the good trend of shameful waste and glorious economy in the whole society.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Food security is a fundamental issue related to human survival, and reducing food loss is an important way to ensure food security. "Saving food covers a series of major food products such as staple foods, vegetables, fruits, meat, eggs and milk, and aquatic products. According to the data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, the total grain output of the country in 2023 will be 1,390.82 billion catties, an increase of 17.76 billion catties over the previous year, and the grain output will hit a record high, stabilizing at more than 1.3 trillion catties for 9 consecutive years. Since grain production has been steadily increasing year after year, why is there such a strong emphasis on saving food? It should be understood that saving grain is an eternal virtue and requirement, and in the past, when there was a shortage of grain, it was necessary to stress economy, and now it is also necessary to stress economy when grain production is increased and harvested.
Saving food is conducive to the sustainable use of resources. The production of all kinds of food that appears on our tables every day is closely related to a series of resources such as water, land, air, energy and labor, and has an important impact on economic and social operations. The reality of the low per capita share of resources determines that the mainland's grain production is facing multiple constraints. As far as the mainland is concerned, saving food means saving resources, and wasting food is wasting resources. Saving food is conducive to promoting the sustainable use of resources, which is the proper meaning of building a resource-saving and environment-friendly society, and is of great significance for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation.
Saving food helps to ensure the harmony and stability of the overall social situation. Food security is a strategic issue. In recent years, due to factors such as the global epidemic and frequent local conflicts in many places, food shortages have once again become the focus of general concern of the international community. In some countries and regions, large numbers of people are facing the serious threat of food shortages and even staple food shortages. An important reason why the mainland has been able to maintain social stability and peace of mind in the face of changes in the international situation is that it has food in its hands and does not panic in its heart. To realize that there is always grain in hand, it is necessary not only to ensure the stock and increase the increment, but also to make great efforts to reduce grain losses and save the grain that should be saved and can be saved. Only in this way can we protect our "grain bags", firmly hold the rice bowl in our hands, and always maintain the harmony and stability of the overall social situation.
Saving food is conducive to improving the quality of life of the people. With the continuous development of the economy and the significant improvement of the people's living standards, today, the types of food available for mainland residents to choose and consume are becoming more and more abundant. At present, the energy, protein and fat supply of mainland residents is on the rise, and the per capita daily protein and fat supply and dietary fat energy supply ratio continue to rise. The people's demand for green and healthy diet is becoming more and more urgent, and how to eat well and eat healthy has become a topic of general concern for thousands of households. Advocating food conservation and opposing food waste will not affect people's quality of life, but will help create a thrifty food culture in the whole society, help people develop a healthy and civilized lifestyle, and play an important role in leading and promoting the continuous improvement of the quality of life of the people.
The problem of food waste is hidden and repetitive, and the slightest relaxation and paralysis will lead to a resurgence. To stop food waste, it is necessary to adhere to the problem-oriented approach, accurately identify the areas and links where food waste is prone to occur, frequent and frequent, and achieve accurate pulse and targeted diagnosis.
In the production process, due to factors such as improper post-harvest processing of grain, the problem of loss is more prominent. For example, cereals face mechanical damage in production, losses due to spills in harvesting, and losses due to mildew or rodent infestation in storage.
In the transportation process, affected by factors such as distance and cost, fresh fruits are prone to spoilage during transportation, and excessive manual selection in the later stage will also lead to loss problems.
In the consumption link, compared with the past, although the phenomenon of pomp, arrogance, extravagance, and extravagance and waste in catering consumption has been significantly improved, there is still a problem of food waste in ordering take-out and holding dinners.
In addition, in the market supply and demand links, some places due to planting and breeding structure problems lead to a complete match between supply and demand, which will also cause a certain degree of waste.
To promote food conservation, the direct force is in life, the tip of the tongue, and at the same time it is a system project that covers a wide range and requires the efforts of many parties.
Give full play to the role of institutional guarantees and incentives. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, our party has focused on strengthening the top-level design of food safety, giving full play to the role of institutional mechanisms, and leading and motivating the whole society to participate in the action of saving food and opposing waste. From the formulation of the eight central regulations and their implementation rules, the promulgation of the "Regulations on Strict Economy and Opposition to Waste by Party and Government Organs", to the promulgation of the anti-food waste law, the issuance of the "Food Conservation Action Plan", and the issuance of the "Anti-Food Waste Work Plan...... A series of important mechanisms and measures have provided a strong guarantee and strong synergy for strengthening food loss reduction and curbing food waste.
Empower food conservation with technological innovation. Adhere to innovation-driven, vigorously promote the research and development and application of grain loss reduction facilities and equipment, and strive to improve the level of refrigeration and preservation facilities in major grain product production areas. With the concerted efforts of relevant departments, the "Food Security Project" and "Intelligent Upgrading and Transformation of Grain Depots" have been implemented successively. With the help of strong technical support, the risk of grain loss in grain storage in the grain depot has been effectively controlled, and the comprehensive grain loss rate in the storage cycle has been significantly reduced. In addition, some places have comprehensively used big data, artificial intelligence and other technologies to grasp the market demand for food products in real time, which has promoted the accurate docking of supply and demand of food products while better meeting the needs of consumers.
Pay attention to the role of culture in shaping people. In recent years, many localities have strengthened education and guidance on saving and cherishing food, so that the public can truly understand the arduous process of grain production; The emotion of food is linked to nostalgia, and the cultural connotation is added to the saving of food. Some places combine the culture of conservation with the culture of public welfare, and guide food retail and catering operators to donate surplus food or provide lower-priced meal services for groups in need by exploring mechanisms such as "food banks", so as to better meet the catering consumption needs of different social groups at the same time, vigorously create a rational and moderate healthy consumption culture, and establish a correct orientation for promoting economic and social development with the spirit of diligence and thrift.
Source: People's Daily