China’s Poor Food Handling Systems Lead To Huge Amounts Of Waste

Thanks to lower prices -- the cost to import grain has dropped 30 percent in the last two years -- China is importing much more this year than last year. But a major problem persists: China wastes vast amounts of grain and other foods. The country discards 35 million metric tons a year because of faulty storage, transportation and processing systems. A government grain official told China Daily that the discarded grain could feed 200 million people for a year, a ”shameful” situation. Inferior food storage systems have led to the spoilage of large quantities of fruit, vegetables, and meat.