Are China's Mukbang Streamers Finished?

China’s government has recently launched its “Clean Plate 2.0” campaign in order to reduce food waste. This may sound like a positive, eco-friendly initiative — unless you’re one of the cohort of internet stars known as mukbangers, who may now have to completely rethink their output.

Originating in Korea, mukbangs are displays of eating where people livestream themselves consuming massive portions of food. Now the trend has spread worldwide, with some stars gaining legions of devoted fans. China is no exception, with many mukbangers uploading their videos to Chinese social media apps such as Kuaishou and Douyin.

With this new mandate, however, these performers’ careers may be in jeopardy. Top governmental authorities are reportedly ramping up measures to reduce food waste, calling for all citizens to “maintain a sense of crisis on food security,” according to state media platform Global Times. The original “Clean Your Plate” campaign, which targeted official banquets and extravagant spending on food, was first launched in 2013.

As part of the new initiative, Chinese social media platforms have fallen in line to limit the influence of mukbangers and discourage food waste. For instance, on Douyin, when users search for relevant terms such as “big stomach king” (大胃王), they are instead greeted with the message “refuse waste and eat reasonably.”

Hit Read More for how netizens are reacting to the mukbang crackdown.

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