Robot Cooking Machine

Popular Science magazine recently featured an article about a robot who can serve up 60o types of classic Chinese dishes with the touch of a button. Simply “feed” the machine with ingredients required for the dish and program the machine before it whips out a meal. Level of deliciousness may vary with individuals.

Developed by students from Yangzhou University and Shanghai’s Jiaotong University, the details of how the machine works have yet to be released.

Shanghai to reduce food waste

Taking cues from San Francisco, which started to impose a fine on food waste last year, Shanghai is taking another step towards environmentally friendly measures. According to Shanghai Daily, around 60 restaurants are expected to take part in a new program that encourages diners to order less dishes and reward those who doggy bag their leftovers.

Although not as strict as the law in San Francisco, which fines residents who do not properly dispose of their food waste, the new measure has seen a significant decrease in waste in some of the restaurants taking part in the trial since April last year.

The article also mentions that Shanghai generates 1,000 tons of food waste every day. Restaurants pay a waste disposal fee of 60 yuan (US$8.78) per 50 kg barrel. As part of this initiative , the Shanghai Greenery and Public Sanitation Bureau is considering offering more benefits such as discounted waste disposal fees for restaurants and lucky draws for customers featuring gifts including the 2010 World Expo tickets.