Spring Festival is a time when families gather to enjoy reunion dinners, but it also poses a challenge to the recent campaign against food waste.

The campaign - which is sweeping across China with government leaders and Internet users asking people to cut down on extravagant banquets - echoes a call by China's top political leader, Xi Jinping, for a frugal lifestyle.

In late January, nearly 750 Beijing restaurants responded by offering smaller dishes.

However, some consumers said that they felt almost "forced" to waste food during holiday dinners.

"In a restaurant near my home, dinner usually costs less than 70 yuan ($11.22) per person. But if you make a reservation for a separate room so that you and your family members can enjoy a more private dinner, the restaurant requires a minimum 100 yuan fee per person, which means that we have to order more food than we need," said 62-year-old Beijing resident Shen Yin.

"This certainly causes waste, but we have no choice because nearly every restaurant has similar rules," she said.

Earlier this month, the China Consumers' Association asked restaurants to abolish the minimum-fee policy during the holiday period. The move was not entirely successful.

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