(CARTOON BY LI SHIGONG)

Small portions are one of the hottest trends in China's food and beverage sector. Restaurants across China have upgraded their menus to include small portion sizes, which are usually a half or a third of the standard size, as an alternative to regular dishes. 

According to a report released by the China Hospitality Association, last year, over 900,000 restaurants offered 5.6 million kinds of small-sized dishes. These smaller portions not only are more affordable than standard-sized meals, but also can reduce potential food waste, prevent overeating and help consumers create healthy eating habits.

Furthermore, studies have shown that each small portion of rice sold throughout the nation reduces carbon emissions by an average of 92.4 grams. Every step of food production, from cultivation, harvest, processing, transportation and cooking, to disposal, consumes energy and releases greenhouse gases. Therefore, by reducing the amount of food produced, processed and thrown away, smaller meals are conducive to tackling global warming.

(People's Daily, May 29)