Recently, the Qingdao Municipal Administration for Market Regulation in Shandong Province released the "Specifications for the Collection and Public Display of Market Supervision Trustworthy Code Information," which it spearheaded. This standard is a pioneering national specification specifically addressing the collection and public display of trustworthy consumption credit information.
The specifications adhere to the principle of "scientific guidance and practical priority," clearly defining the scope of entities covered by the Market Supervision Trustworthy Code. This includes, but is not limited to, five major key consumption sectors: online and offline catering merchants, operators and their affiliated merchants in agricultural markets and wholesale markets, collective meal delivery units and canteens, online transaction platforms, and cultural and tourism venues.
The specifications delineate four categories of information to be collected under the "Trustworthy Code": basic information, warning information, positive information, and online interaction information. This data will be uniformly managed by Qingdao's integrated smart market supervision platform for business entities throughout their entire life cycle.
Simultaneously, the specifications provide detailed regulations on the methods for information collection, posting requirements, standards for public display content, and information security aspects. According to a relevant official from the Qingdao Municipal Administration for Market Regulation, the longstanding information barrier between consumers and businesses has been a major cause of frequent consumer disputes.
To address this, the bureau innovatively introduced the "Trustworthy Code," which publicly displays a business's basic information, positive records, and warning information. It uses a "green, yellow, red" color system to indicate three credit statuses: normal operation, abnormal operation, and serious illegal or untrustworthy behavior. Posted at the entrances and dining areas of 23,000 catering establishments citywide, it guides consumers to "scan the code before dining" and make rational consumption choices.
This mechanism also pressures businesses to place greater importance on maintaining their credit and actively responding to consumer complaints. To date, over 1,000 coded businesses have proactively applied for credit repair through the "Trustworthy Code," leading regulatory authorities to remove 7,056 warning labels in accordance with regulations. Follow-up monitoring shows that these catering businesses have not subsequently faced complaints or administrative penalties.
Concurrently, the Qingdao Municipal Administration for Market Regulation has promoted the application of the "Trustworthy Code" on platforms such as Meituan and Ele.me, achieving 100% coverage of "Trustworthy Code" links for catering merchants. Since its introduction in 2024, the "Trustworthy Code" has helped break down information barriers in the catering consumption sector through credit pressure, data empowerment, positive guidance, and targeted supervision, effectively addressing food safety concerns.
So far, consumer complaints related to catering in the city have decreased by 31.73% year-on-year. Building on the comprehensive coding of catering service units, the Qingdao Municipal Administration for Market Regulation has also incorporated 2,062 travel agencies, commercial performance groups, star-rated hotels, and 58 agricultural and wholesale markets into the "Trustworthy Code" application scope.
The bureau is progressively expanding the application range of the "Trustworthy Code," striving to extend its benefits from "eating with confidence" to "staying with confidence" and "playing with confidence."
Comments