China Imposes Up to 100,000 Yuan Fine for 'Mukbang'

Draft Review of NPC Food Waste-Related Bill... 35 Billion kg of Annual Food Waste
China Also Enacts Additional Legislation on Food Security

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] China has established a law that imposes fines of up to 100,000 yuan (approximately 17 million KRW) for producing and broadcasting "mukbang" (eating broadcasts).

Since Chinese President Xi Jinping instructed in August to "firmly prevent food waste," the National People's Congress (NPC), China's parliament, has initiated legislative procedures related to food waste.

On the 23rd, according to major Chinese media such as China Central Television (CCTV), People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency, and Global Times, the NPC Standing Committee held its 24th meeting the previous day at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to review the draft Food Waste Prevention Law.

The draft includes obligations such as restaurants posting food waste prevention warning signs, restaurant staff explaining appropriate portion sizes when taking orders, charging customers for food waste disposal costs if they leave too much food uneaten, and fostering a food donation culture through the activation of food banks.

Notably, the draft prohibits live streaming and other programs related to mukbang. The Chinese government plans to impose fines ranging from a minimum of 10,000 yuan to a maximum of 100,000 yuan on creators of mukbang content that causes excessive food waste.

The Global Times reported that prank videos highlighting food or showing people eating and then vomiting the ordered food on video platforms such as Douyin (the Chinese version of the video app TikTok) and Kuaishou will no longer be seen.

CCTV reported that China's annual food waste reaches 35 billion kilograms, which accounts for 12% of the country's total grain harvest.

The consensus is that the Chinese government's Food Waste Prevention Law is related to food security. When President Xi mentioned food waste, external uncertainties were at their peak due to factors such as farmland damage caused by major floods, intensified US-China conflicts, and the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

In fact, CCTV stated that the NPC Standing Committee will soon review a food security law, which will include regulations on food loss during processing, storage, and distribution.

Professor Zheng Fengtian of the Department of Agricultural Economics at Renmin University emphasized in an interview with the Global Times that "China is a country capable of 100% self-sufficiency in its main grains, rice and wheat," and predicted that "as the government prepares administrative and legal measures, the issue of food waste will be resolved in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.