Guangzhou Cracks Down on "Ghost Takeout" Restaurants, Delisting Over 37,000 Violating Online Stores

(Central News Agency, Taipei, June 24) The Guangzhou Municipal Administration for Market Regulation in Guangdong Province, China, is addressing food safety issues. In the first half of this year, it focused on a special campaign against "ghost takeout." The campaign urged platforms to conduct self-inspections, and to date, over 37,000 instances of violating online stores have been delisted.

Ghost takeout refers to businesses that disguise themselves as legitimate merchants on takeout platforms. The characteristics of these businesses include falsifying their listed addresses, lacking physical operating premises, subcontracting orders to unknown third parties, and using forged or rented food business permits. Such businesses erode public confidence in takeout and disrupt the market order of the takeout industry.

The Chinese government is paying attention to the issue of ghost takeout, and various regions are following suit with crackdowns. The WeChat public account "Guangzhou Market Regulation" released a message stating that the Guangzhou Municipal Administration for Market Regulation held a special on-site meeting on June 23 to address issues in online catering food safety, continuing to strengthen online catering supervision.

In the first half of this year, the Guangzhou Municipal Administration for Market Regulation focused on rectifying ghost takeout problems, urging platforms to conduct self-inspections. By comparing the permit data of catering businesses in Guangzhou, over 37,000 instances of violating online stores have been delisted.

The Guangzhou Municipal Administration for Market Regulation requires platforms to update their management systems, strictly prohibiting merchants from arbitrarily modifying their listed addresses and license information. It requires new merchants to complete license information verification through government data interfaces before they can operate online, and strictly prohibits any tampering, effectively cutting off the channel for ghost takeout to enter platforms from the source.

In the first half of this year, Guangzhou's market regulation departments conducted online verification of license data and monitored over 63,000 takeout merchants; physical inspections were conducted 32,000 times. The department will continue to promote special rectification efforts based on the "Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of the Implementation of Food Safety Primary Responsibility by Online Catering Service Operators."

Delivery drivers are also helpers in identifying ghost takeout. According to a report by the Guangzhou Daily, a delivery driver said at this meeting that food safety requires the joint participation of society to protect it. This is responsible to consumers and also helps merchants. Regulatory departments, platforms, merchants, and delivery drivers can work together to build a food safety network.

The Chinese government is rectifying the problem of ghost takeout. In April of this year, the State Administration for Market Regulation imposed administrative penalties on seven platforms, including Pinduoduo, Meituan, JD.com, Ele.me (Taobao Flash Purchase), Douyin, Taobao, and Tmall, for a series of ghost takeout cases. The seven platforms were collectively fined RMB 3.597 billion (approximately NT$16.6 billion). (Editor: Lu Jia-rong) 1150624

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