chinese food

Popular Food Delivery Services in Shanghai are Breaking the Law

Dianping, Meituan and ele.me all under investigation

You may want to think twice the next time you’re considering ordering food to your door. According to Shanghai authorities, 80 percent of restaurants supplying food to online delivery companies are in breach of industry regulations.

The Shanghai Food and Drug Administration investigated 100 restaurants providing food delivered through Dianping, Meituan, and ele.me. Of the 100 businesses, 81 had issues such as failing to display the proper permits, or worse, displaying borrowed or forged permits.

The individual restaurants are now being investigated for criminal wrongdoing as consumer complaints continue to mount. At the same time, Dianping, Meituan, and ele.me have been ordered by the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration to ensure the restaurants they do business with comply with all of the necessary permits or else face fines of upwards of 200,000 yaun (US $31,400).

While the accusations may not be enough to dissuade consumers from using online services to order their next meal, consider for a moment that according to the Shanghai Consumer Rights Protection Commission, ele.me was able to provide catering license details for only 13 percent of restaurants listed on the popular site. As for the remaining 87 percent, it remains a mystery. Buyer beware.

Charles Liu

The Nanfang's Senior Editor