On April 17, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued administrative penalties against seven e-commerce platforms—including Shanghai Xunmeng Information Technology Co., Ltd. (Pinduoduo), Beijing Sankuai Technology Co., Ltd. (Meituan), Beijing Jingdong 360 E-commerce Co., Ltd. (JD.com), Shanghai Lazasi Information Technology Co., Ltd. (formerly Ele.me, now Taobao Quick Purchase), Beijing Douyin Technology Co., Ltd. (Douyin), Zhejiang Taobao Network Co., Ltd. (Taobao), and Zhejiang Tmall Network Co., Ltd. (Tmall)—in connection with a series of "ghost takeaway" cases. The penalties were imposed in accordance with Article 131 of China's Food Safety Law and Article 83 of the E-commerce Law. The seven platforms were ordered to rectify their illegal activities, suspend new cake shop registrations for periods ranging from three to nine months, and pay combined fines and confiscations totaling 35.97 billion yuan. Additionally, under Article 75 of the Implementation Regulations of the Food Safety Law, legal representatives and food safety directors of the seven companies were collectively fined 19.6874 million yuan.
The administrative penalty decision document, numbered Guo Shi Jian Chu Fa [2026] No. 8, identified Zhong Yongjian as the subject of penalty. Zhong serves as the legal representative of Beijing Sankuai Technology Co., Ltd. The company was found to have failed in its obligation to conduct proper qualification reviews, leading to an official investigation launched on November 20, 2025. Evidence was gathered through platform data checks, interviews with relevant personnel, income verification, and documentary and electronic records.
As a third-party online food trading platform provider, Beijing Sankuai Technology violated legal requirements by not conducting real-name registration and license verification for food merchants operating on its platform. The company’s violations were prolonged, involved numerous shops, had widespread impact, and posed significant food safety risks, meeting the criteria for “egregious violations” under the Food Safety Law Implementation Regulations.
Zhong Yongjian, as the company’s legal representative, was penalized based on his responsibilities and the severity of the violations. A fine of 2,527,714.7 yuan was imposed, calculated as a multiple of his previous year’s income from the company. Zhong was instructed to pay the fine within 15 days of receiving the penalty notice through designated banking channels. Failure to pay may result in an additional 3% daily penalty and compulsory enforcement by the courts.
The parties involved retain the right to apply for administrative reconsideration within 60 days or to file an administrative lawsuit within six months. Penalty enforcement will continue during any appeal process.
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