The Chinese government has moved to tighten oversight of the delivery market, which has grown to 1.4 trillion yuan (about 315 trillion won) a year. With new rules taking effect that focus on eliminating "ghost kitchens" and expanding information disclosure, delivery platforms are shifting from simple price wars to competition that emphasizes quality and trust.
According to state-run China Central Television (CCTV) on the 2nd, the State Administration for Market Regulation began enforcing the "regulation on supervision and administration of the fulfillment of food safety responsibilities by online food delivery service operators" on the 1st. The core is to align the names of online restaurants with their offline store names and require disclosure of key information such as business licenses, actual business addresses, and workers' health certificates.
According to the local industry, China's delivery market has grown rapidly in recent years, but issues such as so-called "ghost kitchens," which specialize in delivery without operating offline stores, and hygiene controversies at some restaurants have been consistently raised. Authorities intend to use the new rules to boost consumer trust and restore market order.
Delivery platforms have responded by competing to raise credibility. They are granting a "dine-in store (堂食店)" certification mark to offline stores that comply with the rules and boosting their search rankings and recommendation exposure. According to CCTV, a mala xiang guo franchise in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, said orders rose about 5% after it recently received the certification from the platform, and explained it is adding dedicated delivery staff to handle the increase.
If delivery platforms had previously lured users with various discount coupons, going forward, factors that secure consumer trust—such as whether a store actually operates a physical location and its hygiene level—are likely to emerge as more important competitive elements.
Local governments across China are also strengthening supervision. In Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, a quality delivery cluster that brings dining businesses together in one place is being created. Tenant companies can use shared facilities such as common warehouses, and all kitchens are consolidation to supervision platforms and delivery apps through real-time video systems. Consumers can also directly check the entire food preparation process. The sealed sticker on the packaging is printed with a QR code for the customer center of the local market supervision administration.
In addition, Shanghai has introduced an electronic license verification system for online restaurants, and Fujian province has established a joint inspection framework on unlicensed operations and hygiene issues in cooperation with major platforms.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is also being used actively. Meituan, the largest local delivery app, is automatically detecting kitchen contamination through an AI-based kitchen inspection system, and Taobao Flash Sale under Alibaba is using AI to identify forged business licenses and fake store information. When new businesses join, they must submit unedited video, which AI and specialists verify together.
CCTV said, "With the introduction of AI technology, kitchen environment assessments are shifting from experience-centered to data-based management systems," and added, "It has become possible to predict and respond to risks more accurately."