Guangdong Province Launches Joint Food Safety Pacts with Leading Delivery Platforms

Market regulators in Guangdong Province have established co‑governance agreements with major food‑delivery platforms to strengthen oversight of the rapidly expanding online catering market.

As reported by China Daily, the agreements were signed with firms including Meituan, Taobao Flash Shopping and JD Takeaway.

This initiative follows the implementation of provincial regulations governing food‑safety responsibilities for catering services, which took effect on 1 June.

Alongside the formal agreements, the three platforms have also co‑authored a self‑regulatory convention on the development and food safety of the province’s online catering industry, reinforcing collaborative governance.

A key component is the creation of a shared blacklist system across the three platforms.

Merchants identified for serious food‑safety violations and removed from one platform will be barred from the other two services.

The mechanism is intended to stop non‑compliant businesses from re‑entering the market by moving to another platform.

The cooperation framework also encourages catering merchants to stream live kitchen feeds, allowing customers to view the kitchen in real time while placing orders.

Under the agreements, the objective is to shift the industry from passive compliance to proactive governance.

Delivery workers and consumers are also integrated into the oversight structure, with their food‑safety reports forwarded directly to the appropriate regulatory bodies under the new arrangements.

In April, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation imposed a combined fine of 3.6 billion yuan (approximately $527.3 million) on seven e‑commerce platforms for food‑delivery safety violations.

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