The top legislature on Thursday adopted a new law on preventing food waste to offer legal backing to the country's efforts to safeguard food security and promote traditional virtue of thrift.

The law, passed at a session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, took effective immediately.

Catering service providers face a fine of up to 10,000 yuan ($1,543) if they mislead consumers to order excessive quantities of food and cause waste, according to the law.

The country's top leadership called to prevent wasting food in August last year. From then on, the top legislative body has accelerated the steps in drafting the new law.