Hunan Market Regulator Releases First Batch of 2026 Cases Against Catering Waste

Hunan Provincial Administration for Market Regulation recently released the first batch of 2026 typical cases against catering waste, using the cases to promote the law and encourage society to practice the "clean plate" campaign and resist catering waste. The notice covers five cases, all discovered and handled by local market regulation authorities during routine inspections or special enforcement actions.

According to the notice, a catering outlet in Wangcheng District, Changsha, was found on August 13, 2026 during a routine inspection to have failed to post or display anti-food-waste signs in a prominent position in its business premises and to have failed to actively remind consumers to prevent food waste; a catering management company in Xiangtan was found on March 31, 2026 with the same problem during a special anti-food-waste enforcement action; a catering outlet in Xinshao County was found on June 1, 2026 to have no anti-food-waste signs at all; a catering outlet in Daxiang District, Shaoyang, was found on August 12, 2026 to have failed to post signs and to guide customers to order appropriately; and a noodle shop in Quyuan Management District, Yueyang, was found on May 21, 2026 to have no related signs and no staff to remind or guide customers.

The conduct of the parties was found to violate Article 7, Paragraph 1, Item (2) of the Anti-Food Waste Law of the People's Republic of China. According to the notice, enforcement officers ordered the parties to correct the violations immediately or within a deadline—the Xinshao case was ordered to complete rectification by June 3, 2026, and a Notice of Order to Correct was issued in the Shaoyang case—and warnings were issued on the spot or in accordance with the law in all five cases.

The issues in this notice center on the failure to post or display anti-food-waste signs and the failure to actively remind consumers to order appropriately; no food safety indicators or testing conclusions are involved. The notice contains no batch numbers, product recalls or health hazard information, and the cases are administrative actions concerning compliance with obligations under the Anti-Food Waste Law.

When dining out, consumers may check whether the operator has posted anti-food-waste signs and whether staff remind them to order as needed; if signs are missing or no reminder is given, they can report to the local market regulation authority. The typical cases were published in case form so the public can understand the specific requirements the Anti-Food Waste Law places on catering operators.