Farmers busy in harvesting early-season rice and transplanting late rice in Hunan. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed resolutely putting an end to wasting food and called for promoting thrift.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the requirement in an instruction.

Calling the issue of food waste shocking and distressing, Xi highlighted the need to maintain a sense of crisis regarding food security, especially amid the fallout of the COVID-19 epidemic, despite the fact that China has scored consecutive bumper harvests.

Xi stressed enhancing legislation and supervision, taking effective measures, and establishing a long-term mechanism to stop food waste.

It is necessary to further enhance public awareness of the issue, effectively cultivate thrifty habits and foster a social environment where waste is shameful and thriftiness is applaudable, Xi said.

Xi has attached great importance to food security and repeatedly called for promoting the social custom of practicing thrift and opposing waste. He has emphasized the need to stop food waste on many occasions.

In January 2013, he made an instruction on the issue and has since given multiple instructions requiring efforts including forceful institutional constraints, strict compliance with systems, strong supervision and inspection and severe punishment mechanisms to effectively curb various violations of rules, disciplines and laws regarding the consumption using public funds.

He also gave specific requirements for reducing waste in schools and promoting students' awareness and practices of being thrifty.