food safety

Meituan’s Pinhão delivery platform launches the “Million Kitchen Showcase” to enhance food safety and transparency. The initiative partners with 200,000 merchants, providing consumers real-time kitchen access via images, texts, and live streams. Meituan aims to encourage one million merchants to adopt “open kitchen” setups, offering support and subsidies for live streaming. Pinhão now features storefront, dining area, and kitchen images alongside menus. Nearly 300,000 merchants already uploaded these visuals. Pinhão, with over one million merchants and 35 million daily orders, features more than 5,000 established restaurant brands.

Pang Dong Lai, a Chinese retailer known for its exceptional customer service and quality control, plans to enter the infant formula market. Founder Yu Donglai announced the initiative on Douyin, aiming to focus on food safety and quality of life. The news has generated significant excitement among Chinese consumers, particularly expectant mothers who expressed hope for a reliable domestic alternative. Pang Dong Lai, with 13 stores and a central kitchen, generated nearly 17 billion yuan in sales in 2024.

JD.com is entering the food delivery market, addressing consumer concerns about safety and hygiene by partnering exclusively with established restaurants. They’ve launched “Seven Fresh Kitchen,” a delivery-focused concept, and plan to establish 10,000 locations in three years. JD.com is investing heavily in its supply chain and a “Recipe Partner” program to ensure quality. Their strategy includes rigorous quality checks, hygiene protocols, and 24/7 kitchen livestreams, emphasizing safe and delicious meals.

A viral hashtag, “Your Delivery Rider is Attacking Your Breakfast,” fuels online controversy about food delivery safety. Users report riders compromising orders, from theft to tampering and even contamination. Major platforms like Meituan, JD.com, and Ele.me respond by emphasizing sealed packaging and encouraging customers to report concerns.

A customer accused Alibaba’s Hema supermarket of delivering undercooked lamb skewers, sparking food safety concerns in China’s instant-delivery sector. The consumer claimed the “BBQ Season Red Willow Lamb Skewer,” ordered via Hema’s app, appeared raw upon delivery. Hema’s delayed customer service response and refusal to confirm undercooking without physical inspection drew criticism, despite offering a refund and voucher. The retailer defended its standard cooking process, citing test grills showing typical pink lamb interiors, and escalated the case for verification. Analysts note the incident reflects challenges in balancing rapid delivery and quality control within the $150 billion fresh-food e-commerce market.