Following the last year's announcement of the Guidelines for Food Waste Reduction for homes, restaurants and group meal facilities to scale down on food waste, the Ministry of Environment has devised another set of action plans for promoting active participation from the public in reduction of food waste.

The new action plan calls for cooperation from the government-related agencies to take the lead in scaling down on the volume of food waste, where the public officials have to follow three action plans in reducing food waste generated in their daily lives.

First, only adequate amount of food should be prepared and served for the exact number of participants in various events and banquets. This is to prevent food leftovers, since the best solution in food waste reduction is to cut down on the volume of food waste at the source. Also, if food waste is unavoidably generated, it should be disposed of properly.

Secondly, for institutions with public meal facilities, the number of people being fed and the total stock of food storage should be accurately assessed beforehand, so that only the necessary groceries can be purchased and adequate amount of food can be prepared and served. Also, the food waste generated should be recycled as much as possible.

Lastly, the company gatherings and dinners should be held in "environmentally friendly restaurants" and other model restaurants which actively participates in food waste reduction efforts.

Through the ongoing efforts for cutting down on volume of food waste in Korea, the generation of food waste has been reduced from 13,063 tons per day in 1997 to 11,237 tons per day in 2001, which is about 14% reduction.

Furthermore, the Ministry plans to gradually reduce the amount of food waste generation, aimed up to 10% reduction by 2007. In order to reach this goal, the local government bodies and the food industries and civic groups will conclude voluntary agreements to establish an environmentally friendly way of eating and drinking culture.