Draft Chinese law mulls charging diners handling fee for wasting food

BEIJING -- Diners leaving an excessive amount of food waste in restaurants may be asked to pay a handling fee, according to a draft Chinese law to be further deliberated by lawmakers.

The draft law on food waste prevention, among other draft legislation, will be reviewed at a session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), or China's national legislature, set for April 26 to 29.

The new law will set a definition of food waste and clarify the authority to lead the work on curbing food waste, as well as relevant law enforcement bodies, said Zang Tiewei, spokesperson for the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee, on Thursday.