Many video-sharing platforms responded to the criticism by suspending accounts that publish footage of food being squandered.

Searches for "chibo" on the Bilibili video-sharing website produce a notice at the top of the results reminding people to cherish food and eat sensibly.

On Thursday, the short-video app Kuaishou said it would deal seriously with videos showing excessive eating and drinking, while those that feature fake eating and vomiting would be deleted and the accounts closed.

New laws on way

Meanwhile, the national legislature is planning new laws to prevent food waste.

In an interview with the National Supervisory Commission website on Thursday, Zhang Guilong, senior counsel for the Legislative Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress, said a task force had been formed to research new legislation on food waste.

"Rules and regulations on preventing food waste are scattered throughout existing laws, and lack a system and focus," Zhang said. "We will make new laws that give clear instructions on avoiding waste in every part of food production, purchasing, storage, transportation, processing and consumption."

Many people have voiced support for stricter rules against squandering food.

Zhang Siying, 56, a publishing house editor in Beijing, said she becomes angry every time she sees food left uneaten in canteens and restaurants.

"My generation went through tough times when there were food supply quotas and we saved our precious 'meat tickets' for holidays such as the Lunar New Year or when hosting special guests," she said.

"Sometimes, because of shortages, we couldn't get food even if we had tickets. Back then, there were no leftovers after meals. Wasting food was simply out of the question."

Zhang remembers one Spring Festival when she had a ticket to buy candy and visited all the shops near her home in Chengdu, Sichuan province, only to find that confectionery had sold out.

"I was only about 10 at the time, and I felt so sad and disappointed. My father, who experienced starvation, always taught us to cherish all our food, but young people nowadays don't have such memories, so we should educate them about just how precious food is," she said.

Chen Xiaojing, a former kindergarten teacher in Shanghai, said she hates wasting food, and always praises children when they clear their plates at lunch.