통재국가 중국에서 한때는 맘데로 즐길수 있었던 외식, 지금은 절약과 공급조절까지 고민중. 한국도 예외는 아닌데...

 

몇년전 명동의 한 Buffet식당에 친지들과 함께 외식을 하러 갔었다. 식당홀에 들어 서면서 첫눈에 들어온 벽보의 안내문에는 이렇게 씌여있었다. - 음식물 남기지 마세요. 위반시 3,000원 벌금입니다- 이게 무슨 뜻이지? 의아해 하는것을 본 친지중의 한분이, "이형 사람들이 욕심만 있어갖고, 맘껏 퍼가서 다 먹지를 못하고 쓰레기통에 버리고 또 다른 그릇에 퍼가서 먹는 얌체족들이 많아서 그래"라고. 

오늘 뉴스를 보면서, 금년에는 유난히도 기후변화가 많아서, 전세계적으로 식량 공급에, 전에는 겪어보지 못했던 새로운 풍조들이 많이 발생하고, 특히 북한같은 나라는 아사자가 많이 발생할거라는 걱정섞인 얘기들이 많이 오간다. 식량얘기하면 한국도 예외는 아니다. 거의다 수입해서 충당하고 있기 때문이다. 더군다나 현문재인 정부는 북한에 퍼주기를 우리가 밥먹듯이 하고 있기에 더 걱정이 많은것이다. 북한주민들이 먹어야할 원조식품은 거의다 평양에 거주하는 엘리트 구룹의 입으로 들어가고, 결과적으로 김정은 Regime의 정권유지를 위한 연명줄을 더 튼튼히 해주는 꼴이다. 나도 알고 있는 이런 Fact를 왜 문재인정부는 모를까? 아니면 알면서도....

중국은 인구도 많지만, 국토가 넓어 거의 자급자족이 가능하지만, 밀가루만은 외국으로 부터 수입에 의존한다. 금년도에는 전지구촌의 가뭄과 폭우, 장마가 중국에도 많이 발생하여, 새로운 사회적 상황이 속출하고 있다한다.

공산독재국가, 중국에서 한때는 맘데로 즐길수 있었던 음식, 지금은 절약과 공급조절까지 고민중이라는 충격적인 뉴스가 간담을 서늘케 하고 있다고 한다.  대외적인 이유는 음식물 낭비가 너무나 많다는것이다.

중국베이징 당국에서 홍콩지구에 내려진 발표에 따르면, 음식물 낭비를 막기위해 식당에서 주문을 너무나 많이 하지말것과 더 심한경우는 먹는 시간까지도 감시의 대상이 될수 있다는 경고를 내렸다는 것이다.

상하이 당국은 주민들에게 너무많이 음식물 낭비를 아무렇치도 않게 하는 습관을 발견시 보고하라는 지시까지 내렸다고 한다(report food-wasting). 식당주들은 구룹으로 식당에 외식하러오면, 사람숫자보다 최소한 한사람몫을 적게 주문해줄것을 당부한다. 남쪽지방, Hunan성에서는 식당에 들어오는 사람들의 몸무게를 먼저 측정해서 거기에 맞은 음식을 주문하도록 하고 있단다(appropriate meals.)

중국은 유난히도 음식낭비가 많다고 한다. 2015년에는 최소한 30-50백만명이 먹을수 있는 량의 음식물을 가베지통에 버렸다고 하는데, 이정도의 양이면 오스트랄리아와 뉴질랜드 전체 인구가, 또는 미국의 텍사스주에 거주하는 인구가 일년동안 먹고도 남을 양이었다고 한다.

중국의 시진핑이 8월 11일, 음식물 낭비를 대처하기위해 대한 매우 충격적이고 고통스러운 캠패인을 발표한것이다.  그의 발표는 Covid-19이 전지구촌을 휩쓸고 있어, 먹거리 공급체계에 문제가 발생하기 시작하는 와중에 나온것이다.  그의 발표는 많은 중국인들에게 의외로 받아 들여지고 있다는 것이다.

시민들의 식사시간을 경청하고있는 전문가들의 걱정은, 개인들의 음식먹는 시간까지 감시 한다는것은 개인의 사생활에 너무 깊숙히 간섭하는것으로 보여진다는 점이다.  "하루에 세끼 먹는것은 보통 사람들에게는 매우 개인적인 사생활이다. 특히 정치적으로 관심이 없는 개인들에게는 그들의 일상생활습관이 간섭받는 셈이 되고, 이캠패인으로 위협을 당하는 기분이다"라고 '칭화대학교'의 정치학교수,Wu Qiang씨는 걱정이다.

1993년에 음식 식권(vouchers) 나누어주는것을 끝내면서, 중국인들은 식량이 부족한 시대를 마감하는 심볼로 여기면서 지금부터는 원하는 먹거리를 골라 먹을수 있다는 자유가 있다는데 자부심을 갖었었다. 

중국이 경제부흥을 위해 세계에 문호를 개방하고 성장하면서, 중국인들의 식탁이 풍성해져, 상어핀과 새둥지수프등등의 고급요리가 올려지곤 했다. " 먹고 마시는 것이 사람들의 삶의 질이 좋아졌다는 징표이기도했다"라고 Wu교수는 설명한다.

생일파티, 결혼식 또는 신년축하파티같은때는 바로 부의 상징으로 여러종류의 고급음식이 풍부하게 준비되곤 한다. 싱가폴국립대학의 리관유대학의 조교수, Alfred Wu Muluan씨는 설명하기를, 엄청난 음식을 주문하는것은 가끔씩 그사람의 얼굴생김새를 다시 쳐다보게 되는데, 한사람이 더많은 주문을 하면, 사람들이 그를 존경하고 위상이 높아지는것으로 여기는 풍조가 있다고 설명한다.

이러한 풍조는 결국 엄청난 양의 음식 쓰레기를 만들뿐이라고 국영방송이 보도하고 있는데, 2013에서 2015년 사이에  중국은 매년 18백만톤(18 million tons of food each year.)의 음식 쓰레기를 양산한 셈이 된다. 14억 중국인구를 고려해 볼때, 서구의 여러나라보다 훨씬 더 높다는 뜻이다. 개인당 중국인들은 일년에 약 209파운드의 음식쓰레기를 생산하는 셈이라고 2018년도 음식보유인덱스는 보고하고 있다.  오스트랄리아는 개인당 매년 168파운드 음식 쓰레기를 양산하고, 미국은 가장 낮은 72.4파운드 음식 쓰레기를 양산하는데, 이양 역시 너무 많다. 2015년도에 중국의 농경과학아카데미가 발표한 중국의 음식 쓰레기는, 음식 케이터링의 주문이 엄청나게 늘어나면서, 특히 대도시(large cities)에서 문제점이 엄청나게 발생하고 있다고 한다.

"베이징시에서 발생하는 음식쓰레기의 하루양은 18,000톤으로 그속에는 빵, 샌드위치, 정크푸드, 커다란 생선, 고기 그리고 팩키지를 뜯지도않은 쌀밥등등이다"라고 보고서는 밝히고 있다. 그러나 금년도 상반기 대부분을 coronavirus pandemic으로 문을 닫았던 식당주들에게 음식양을 줄이라고 하는데, 그들은 반대하고 있단다. Wuhan에서 식당을 경영하는 Wang씨는 Covid-19으로 식당운영이 폐쇄당해 죽을 지경이라고 하면서, 식당사업은 아직도 전염병피해로 부터 회복하기위해 고전중인데, 이제 또다시 써빙하는 음식양을 줄이라고 하니, 고통이 더심하다고 푸념이다. 

"고객들이 많은 음식을 주문하는데, 어떻게 조금씩만 주문하라고 할수 있겠는가?  식당주인들은 장사가 더 잘되기를 바라는데..."라고 그는 푸념이다. 식당주인 왕씨는 그의 이름을 밝히지 말아 달라고 사정했는데 그이유는 내가 불평한내용을 당국이 알게 된다면 나는 찍힐수 있기 때문이라고 했다.

많은 사람들이 지금 원하는것은 식당에 가서 외식을 하면서 인생을 즐기기를 원하는것이다. "그래서 음식주문양을 줄이라고 하는것은 많은 사람들의 호응을 얻는데 실패하고 말것이다"라고 Lam은 설명한다.  어떻게 음식양을 조절할것인지의 확실한 내용을 밝혀주던가 아니면 중앙정부로 부터 보조를 해주지 않는한, 많은 전문가들은 시진핑주석의 음식쓰레기 조절 강요가 오래 지속돼지 못할것이라고 예측하고있다. 

식당에 최소한의 음식주문하는것을 금했던,2013년의 캠패인과 매우 흡사하다고 꼬집는다. 베이징당국은 식당에 많은 음식주문은 쓰레기 생산을 방지하기위해 벌금을 시도한것과 또 어떤 경우는 그로인해 식당들은 그 절반정도만 주문받도록 부추긴것이다.  그러나 확실한 지침없이 장기간 이런식으로 밀어부치면 서서히 본래의 뜻이 사라지게 마련인 것이다. "사실은 이러한 시행명령은 형식적이될것이다"라고 싱가폴 국립대학의 Wu교수는 설명한다. 문제는 14억 인구가 먹는 음식의 양이 큰 주문이라는 개념을 어떻게 바꾸느냐다.

중국인과 한국인들은 거의 같은 시기에, 물론 한국이 조금은 앞서서 경제개발이 시작됐었지만, 외식문화는 거의 똑같다는 생각인데, 문제는 중국은 그래도 많은 Food Supply가 자급자족이 가능 하지만, 한국은 거의 다 수입에 의존한다는점이 다르다. 요즘같이 경기가 다 죽은 상태에서 한국의 조건은 중국에 비해 훨씬 더 열악하다는 문제가 가슴을 세게 누르고 있다는것을 문재인 정부와 국민들이 자각하면서 어려운 이때를 슬기롭게 살아가기를 바란다. 탑을 쌓기는 어려워도 때려 부시는것은 순식간이라는점을 가슴속에 간직하고 살아가자.

Hong Kong (CNN)A call from Beijing to reduce food waste has sent officials and businesses scrambling to find ways to stop people from ordering too much, and in some extreme cases put meal times under surveillance.

Shanghai officials are asking residents to report food-wasting behaviors. Food industry bosses are urging diners to order at least one fewer dish than the number of people in their group. And one restaurant in southern Hunan province even asked diners to weigh themselves before entering, to help them choose appropriate meals.

Like many countries around the world, China has a massive problem with food waste. In 2015, the country tossed enough to feed at least 30 to 50 million people -- the populations of Australia and New Zealand combined, or the state of Texas -- for an entire year, according to Chinese state media

Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the campaign to tackle what he called the "shocking and distressing" problem of food waste on August 11, state-run news agency Xinhua said. His message came as the Covid-19 outbreak disrupted global food supply chains.

But his directive lacked specifics, leaving it up to zealous officials and citizens across the nation to engineer sometimes drastic methods to tackle the issue.

 

Customers weigh themselves in the popular Hunan restaurant chain Chuiyan Fried Beef, in the city of Changsha. Signs around the restaurant say "clean your plate" and "be thrifty and diligent."

More strict measures are to come. China's top legislative body has announced it will look into passing laws against food waste, while major streaming platforms have threatened food bloggers with potential bans for overeating online.

Food is a sensitive topic in China, where a famine that saw 45 million people starve to death during the 1950s and 60s remains within living memory for many. Being able to eat what they want, when they want is seen by many as a sign of China's new wealth, and the world second-largest economy has a culture that has communal eating at its heart.

Experts warned that monitoring meal times could be seen as one intrusion too far into citizens' increasingly surveilled personal lives.

"Three meals a day is something very personal to the ordinary people," said Wu Qiang, a political analyst in Beijing and former political science professor at Tsinghua University. "Even the most politically apathetic person can feel their daily life habits challenged and threatened (by this campaign)."

Picture taken on May 1962 showing Chinese refugees in a provisional shelter at Hong Kong, fleeing the famine in China which killed hundreds of thousands of people.

Food and wealth

When the government withdrew food vouchers in 1993, it was a powerful symbol that the days of food shortages were over, with people free to eat as they chose. As China's economy opened up to the world, the country's new wealth was conveyed on dining tables through luxury items such as shark's fin and bird's nest soup. "Eating and drinking to one's heart's content is the symbol that people are living a good life," said Wu.

Multi-course banquets are routinely used to celebrate birthdays and weddings, as well as holidays such as the Chinese New Year, with dish quantity and elaborate ingredients signifying wealth. Alfred Wu Muluan, associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, explained that ordering an abundance of dishes is a often "question of face" -- the more a person orders, he said, the more status and respect they will have.

Global food waste twice as high as previously estimated, study says

 

But that has also contributed to huge amounts of waste. According to state-run media, between 2013 and 2015 China wasted about 18 million tons of food each year.

When China's huge population of 1.4 billion people is considered, that's better than some Western nations. Per capita, China wastes about 72.4 pounds of food a year, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's 2018 Food Sustainability Index. Australia tosses out 168 pounds of food every year per capita, while the United States is ranked lowest on the index at 209 pounds of food annually.

But it's still too much. A report on China's food waste published by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in 2015, and quoted in state media after Xi's announcement, said the worst culprit for lost produce in China was the country's growing catering industry, and that the problem is worst in large cities.

"How can restaurants restrict customers from ordering more food? Restaurant owners all want to have good business."Mr Wang, Wuhan resident and former restauranteur

"Beijing city generates 18,000 tonnes of domestic garbage per day, in which a huge amount of unconsumed foods including bread, sandwiches, fast food, large pieces of fish and meat, and unopened bags of rice can be easily found," the report said.

But asking restaurants to serve less food in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, which closed restaurants for much of the first half of this year, is controversial.

Wang, a Wuhan resident whose restaurant shut down due to the lockdown during the Covid-19 outbreak, said China's food industry was still struggling to recover from the epidemic, and now faced pressure to serve less food.

"How can restaurants restrict customers from ordering more food?" he said. "Restaurant owners all want to have good business," he said. Wang asked to keep his first name private for fear of an official backlash for speaking out.

Neighborhood residents sit around a table full of homemade dishes on February 9, 2018 in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Growing surveillance

Some Chinese citizens have been frustrated by what they see as yet another political limitation on their everyday lives.

In recent years, the government has tightened controls on internet usage, censoring political discussion and actively tracking people's digital footprint. More than 20 million surveillance cameras had been installed in China by 2017, according to state broadcaster CCTV, with facial recognition technology able to track the movements of citizens across the nation. And authorities still regulate which city people can live in with access to health care, and the number of children couples can have.

Until the new campaign, eating was "one of the few things people can freely do under China's authoritarian system," said Wu, the political analyst.

Earlier this month, state-run media reported that a district government in Harbin city, Heilongjiang province, had set up a "food waste exposure system" for government canteens, installing surveillance cameras near food collection bins into which workers scrape their leftovers.

Those caught on camera with food waste more than three times will be named and shamed, with footage of their "crimes" to be played on television screens across the canteens.

A sign encouraging people not to waste food is seen at a restaurant in Handan in China's northern Hebei province on August 13.

Some local governments have expanded their surveillance of food waste to entire cities, with Shanghai encouraging citizens to report each other if they saw someone eating too much or wasting food. The punishments for this offense were not specified in the announcement.

"Why should I be reported for things I bought with my own money?" one social media commentator said about the new regulations on food consumption, comparing it to the political supervision during Mao's era.

When a catering association in Liaoning province in northeastern China announced a rule that people should eat N-2 dishes, or two dishes less than the number of people dining, it was met with ridicule online. "I want to know which city will roll out a 'N-3' rule next?" a comment on Chinese social media asked.

"Even the most politically apathetic person can feel their daily life habits challenged and threatened (by this campaign)"Wu Qiang, Beijing political analyst

Online food bloggers who binge eat for their viewers' enjoyment have also been heavily criticized by state-run media. Major video platforms such as Douyin -- China's version of TikTok -- have pledged to monitor food-related livestreams and shut down accounts that broadcast binge eating.

Langweixian, a binge-eating vlogger on Douyin with 40 million followers, had all but six of his 300-plus videos deleted from the platform. Langweixian once ate 10 packets of instant noodles in under nine minutes, according to state media.

"Lang, I support you. It is your right to upload videos of yourself eating. Personally I don't agree with eating so much at a time ... but it's your right. You didn't break the law and shouldn't be subjected to the crackdown," a fan said in the comment section.

Agricultural crisis

Xi's anti-food waste campaign comes as China's agriculture sector is reeling from a series of natural disasters.

Before Covid-19 hit, the country was already dealing with another epidemic: swine fever. Pork is a staple in many parts of China, making up around 70% of China's total meat consumption, according to official data for 2018. On average, a person in China eats 20 kilograms of pork each year.

But the widespread outbreak in 2019 devastated the country's pig farms. Analysis of the official data by CNN Business in November 2019 estimated that the country's pig population had shrunk by about 40%, or 130 million pigs.

When the coronavirus epidemic hit, it threw the country's agricultural sector into chaos in the first quarter of the year. Unable to get produce to market, some farmers were left with fields of rotting produce while others lost money and jobs.

China has mostly contained the virus, but the pandemic continues to disrupt global supply chains, and Beijing's ongoing trade war with Washington has jeopardized imports of soy beans and other food products.

A Chinese woman wears a protective mask as she sits in a nearly empty restaurant at a shopping mall on March 26 during coronavirus restrictions in Beijing, China.

Meanwhile, record flooding along the Yangze River this spring has decimated rice and corn crops in central China, forcing Beijing to release tens of millions of tons of food from government storage.

Amid all that, Xi has emphasized the need for China to be be self-sufficient in food production. Last month, while touring Jilin province, Xi spoke to farmers and called for local authorities to prioritize food security.

Chinese state media, however, has been quick to stress the country is not running out of food.

Grain stores in China are "exceeding demand," according to the Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily, which quoted one expert saying the priority is now "destocking" excess supplies.

'Everything is gone.' Flooding in China ruins farmers and risks rising food prices

'People will forget'

While measures to tackle food waste in China are long overdue, some have questioned whether the government's broad call to simply waste less will achieve this.

Ma Jun, director of environmental advocacy group the Institute for Public and Environmental Affairs, said the government's policy push could be better targeted, adding it would be more appropriate for Beijing to enforce specific rules on waste restrictions at government agencies and public institutions, for example, than to restrict how much individual consumers can order at restaurants.

"For the general public, it is better to raise their awareness (on food waste) and change social customs through advocacy ... rather than compulsory measures," he said.

Willy Lam, from the Center of China Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said in addition to the challenges presented by the vagueness of Xi's policy, this was a particularly bad time to implement the campaign, right after the social hardships imposed by the coronavirus lockdowns, when millions of Chinese were unable to leave their homes for months.

All many people want to do now, Lam said, was go to restaurants, eat and enjoy themselves. "So this frugality goal might be difficult to achieve," he said.

Without more specific guidelines or financial support from Beijing, experts say they don't expect Xi's latest crackdown on food waste to last long. They point to a similar campaign in 2013, which saw minimum order amounts briefly banned in restaurants, Beijing officials trial fines on restaurants and businesses with excess food waste, and, in some areas, restaurants encouraged to serve half-portions.

But without a clear roadmap for longterm change, such measures were slowly forgotten.

"The truth is, the implementation won't be very strict," said Wu, of the National University of Singapore.

Changing how nearly 1.4 billion people eat is a tall order.

CNN's Steven Jiang contributed to this article.

 

https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/28/asia/china-xi-jinping-clean-plate-campaign-dst-intl-hnk/index.html