Regulatory Body Conducts Administrative Guidance Session with Food Delivery Platforms, Mandating Self-Examination and Rectification

On April 2, the State Administration for Market Regulation convened an administrative guidance meeting in Beijing with major food delivery platforms. The session directed three leading platforms—Meituan, Taobao Quick Purchase, and JD.com—to strictly implement the upcoming "Regulations on Supervising the Implementation of Food Safety Responsibilities by Online Catering Service Operators," which is designed to reinforce corporate accountability for food safety. The platforms are required to adopt concrete and effective measures to safeguard consumer dietary safety.

The meeting highlighted that while the rapid growth of online catering services has greatly enhanced public convenience, associated food safety risks cannot be overlooked. The new regulations emphasize that food delivery platforms must place food safety responsibility at the core of their operations, embedding it into every aspect of daily management, workflow, and decision-making to ensure safe dining experiences and build consumer trust.

Platforms are instructed to fully comply with legal requirements and align with the regulations across five key areas: conducting due diligence in qualification reviews, ensuring management safeguards, fulfilling social disclosure obligations, establishing emergency response mechanisms, and cooperating with regulatory oversight.

Emphasizing June 1—the official effective date of the regulations—as a critical deadline, the administration urged companies to work backward from that date to review existing systems, processes, staffing, and technical support. They are expected to promptly initiate self-inspections and corrective actions, strengthen review, management, and delivery controls, and enhance technology-enabled governance. Platforms should proactively integrate into the government’s regulatory framework, shifting from a reactive to a collaborative approach. Initiatives such as promoting "internet + transparent kitchen" models and encouraging delivery personnel to participate in food safety monitoring will help establish a new pattern of social co-governance in food safety.