Fight against food waste takes carrot-and-stick approach

As China's ongoing Clean Your Plate campaign has gained momentum since it began in 2013, many managers of restaurants - especially buffets - say they have consistently been able to meet their goals of stopping food waste. But it hasn't always been easy.

Four guests at the Xiang Wei Qing buffet restaurant in Lanzhou, Gansu province, were enraged early this month when the manager fined them 50 yuan per person for wasting food. The restaurant charges 75 yuan for its buffet but also assesses a 50-yuan refundable deposit for preventing food waste. Because a lot of food was left on the table, the restaurant manager says, the party did not get back the deposits, totaling 200 yuan.

A sign posted at the table read: DO NOT WASTE FOOD.