Promote green takeout to help low-carbon life
Since the beginning of this year, orders for "small meals" on catering takeout platforms have exceeded 6 billion. In recent years, market supervision departments have improved policies and measures, tightened the main responsibilities of platforms and merchants, standardized the marketing behaviors of takeout merchants, and at the same time improved the standard system, carried out green takeout service management, and advocated green and low-carbon life.
"In the past, when ordering small dishes, you had to search for keywords and then search for them yourself." When Xu Yang, a citizen of Shenyang, Liaoning Province, has dinner alone, he often chooses to order takeout."Recently, I discovered that there is a special topic on the takeout platform of 'ordering small dishes', which combines the 'small dishes' and 'one-person meals' of various merchants.setTogether, we have pasta and barbecue, making it more convenient to choose 'small dishes'."
Data recently released by the State Administration for Market Supervision and Administration shows that as of now, the market supervision system has supervised and inspected 855,000 platform companies and takeout merchants, and 21 relevant standards have been formulated and revised to guide and promote large-scale catering takeout platforms to provide "one-person meals" and "small meals". At the special entrance, takeout "carbon" points will be launched. Since the beginning of this year, orders for "small meals" have exceeded 6 billion.
Strengthen guidance and consolidate the main responsibilities of platforms and merchants
In March, the State Administration for Market Supervision issued relevant notices, deploying local market supervision departments to regulate the marketing behavior of takeout merchants, improve policies and measures, improve the standard system, and tighten the responsibilities of platforms and merchants.
In order to consolidate the main responsibilities of the take-out platform, the market supervision department urges the platform to remind consumers to order appropriate food in a prominent way on APP and Mini programs; scientifically set merchant marketing rules based on the merchant's business scale, meal category, ordering distance, etc. Encourage the platform to improve the incentive mechanism for merchants, and support merchants in promoting small portions of meals through prominent location display on the home page and direct search for keywords. At the same time, we will strengthen daily supervision, inspection and regulatory law enforcement, conduct interviews with platforms and merchants that induce excessive consumption, and urge rectification.
"I ordered a takeout for lunch, and chose a small dish, which reduced the carbon by 309.62 grams; clicked 'No Tableware' and reduced the carbon by 52.70 grams; after eating, I took a 'CD' photo and uploaded it, and the carbon reduced by 322.90 grams. A total of 685.22 grams of carbon were reduced for one meal." Since Shanghai citizen Zhou Tong opened a carbon account on the takeout platform, he will check his carbon reduction record every time he orders takeout. "By donating 1000 grams of carbon credits, you can provide a delicious meal to a mountainous primary school through an electrified kitchen." Zhou Tong said.
"The online catering platform connects merchants on one end and consumers on the other. It is an important link in advocating resource conservation." Chen Yinjiang, deputy secretary-general of the Consumer Rights Protection Law Research Society of the Chinese Law Society, said,"The Anti-Food Waste Law clarifies the legal obligations of online catering platforms to fight food waste. Online catering platforms must conscientiously implement relevant laws and regulations and set a more scientific mechanism to guide merchants and consumers."
Strengthen supervision and standardize merchant marketing behavior
The Tomato Fat Beef Hot Pot Set includes 50 grams of fat beef, 50 grams of potatoes, 70 grams of baby vegetables, and 280 grams of rice..."I like this kind of takeout merchant that clearly identifies the amount of food." Zhang Yingjia, a citizen of Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, said,"When ordering takeout, it is difficult to estimate the amount of food just by looking at the pictures of the merchants." The lack of clear labeling of takeout food volume is one of the reasons why consumers order excessive meals.
Chen Yinjiang believes that clarifying meal information not only makes it easier for consumers to purchase on demand, but also avoids problems such as merchants using vague information to deliberately reduce the size of meals. Take-out platforms should clarify the display requirements for take-out meals, and merchants should also actively cooperate to refine and improve the labeling and descriptions of dish portions and ingredients, so that consumers can have a clear concept of the dish size.
"I ordered a single serving of fat beef rice for 28.5 yuan, and the set meal of fat beef rice and white fungus soup for 23.7 yuan, so I chose the set meal. But when I saw the coupon of 'minus 6 yuan for 35 yuan', I ordered another 12 yuan serving of rattan pepper crisp bones." Wu Qiong, a Beijing citizen, said,"Actually, I don't eat much, but rules such as giving away full amounts and discounts always make me order too much."
Some takeout merchants have set starting delivery fees on the platform and introduced full discounts, which has also become one of the reasons why consumers order excessive meals.
In order to standardize the marketing behavior of take-out merchants, the market supervision department urges take-out merchants to set reasonable starting prices, not include staple foods in the display range of full discount discounts, and not induce or mislead consumers to order excessive meals; optimize meal portions, specifications and number of consumers Suggest information, proactively design and provide small portions of dishes, etc., to reduce excessive orders from the source of supply.
Wu Qi, executive director of the Wuxi Institute of Digital Economics, believes that in the context of strict economy, take-out platforms and merchants need to further optimize the corresponding marketing mechanism and scientifically set the starting price and full reduction promotion rules.
At the same time, the market supervision department focuses on strengthening supervision and law enforcement in the field of takeout catering, and comprehensively uses random inspections and other methods to investigate and deal with illegal activities on platforms and merchants. Adhere to the integrated inspection of online and offline, and platform merchants, focusing on checking whether platforms and merchants have any illegal behaviors such as prompting and reminding of failure to implement responsibilities, inducing and misleading consumers to order excessive meals.
Form a mechanism to promote the green and low-carbon transformation of the catering industry
In the take-out management link, we should strengthen reminders for consumers to order appropriate amounts of meals and encourage consumers to reduce the use of disposable tableware; in the take-out meal production link,"green" requirements are put forward for the procurement, processing, cooking and restaurant operations of meal raw materials; In terms of take-out delivery, choose a reasonable route to reduce energy consumption; In terms of takeout packaging, we provide safe, environmentally friendly and reduced takeout packaging forms and materials... Since the recommended national standard "Green Takeout Management Code" was released and implemented in 2023, it has provided guidance for the industry to carry out green takeout service management.
Jin Yong, vice president of the China Hotel Association, believes that in the face of the expanding takeout market, we must insist on using standardization to lead green takeout to improve quality and efficiency, and then form a long-term mechanism to help low-carbon life.
Data released by the State Administration for Market Regulation on June 21 shows that the total number of various anti-food waste standards in my country currently reaches 308. By analyzing the standard implementation data collected for a total of 216,000 implementation frequencies, the effective implementation rate of the national anti-food waste standard reached 94.4%. Chen Mengshan, director of the National Food and Nutrition Advisory Committee, said: "The release of standards is of great significance in promoting resource conservation and carbon emission reduction, enhancing corporate social responsibility and brand image, and promoting the green and low-carbon transformation of the catering industry. In order to further implement the standards and promote the formation of whole-society actions, we must give full play to the organizational functions of industry associations and associations, increase media publicity, and actively organize exchange activities in the catering industry."
In the next step, the market supervision system will continue to focus on standardizing catering takeout marketing, strictly supervise and enforce laws, accelerate the implementation of standards, strengthen publicity and guidance, consolidate the main responsibilities of platform companies and takeout merchants, and advocate a simple and moderate life concept.
