7 e-commerce platforms punished for "ghost delivery" series cases, total fines amounting to 35.97 billion yuan.

On April 17th, in accordance with Article 131 of the Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China and Article 83 of the E-commerce Law of the People's Republic of China, the State Administration for Market Regulation imposed administrative penalties on seven e-commerce platforms, including Shanghai Xunmeng Information Technology Co., Ltd. (Pinduoduo), Beijing Sankuai Technology Co., Ltd. (Meituan), Beijing Jingdong Three Hundred and Sixty Degrees E-commerce Co., Ltd. (JD), Shanghai Lazada Information Technology Co., Ltd. (formerly Ele.me, now Taobao Flash Sale), Beijing TikTok Technology Co., Ltd. (TikTok), Zhejiang Taobao Network Co., Ltd. (Taobao), and Zhejiang Tmall Network Co., Ltd. (Tmall), for the "ghost delivery" series of cases. The seven platforms were ordered to correct their illegal behavior, suspend the addition of cake shops for a period ranging from 3 to 9 months, and were fined a total of 35.97 billion yuan. Additionally, in accordance with Article 75 of the Regulations on the Implementation of the Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China, a total fine of 19.6874 million yuan was imposed on the legal representatives and food safety directors of the seven platform companies. It was found that these seven e-commerce platforms did not strictly review the licenses of food operators joining the platform and did not fulfill their obligations for qualification review in accordance with the law. They signed cooperation agreements with delivery platforms, knowing or should have known that the delivery behavior infringed on consumer rights, but did not take necessary measures. The legal representatives and food safety directors of the seven e-commerce platforms have responsibilities for food safety management, but did not fully fulfill their duties. The above behaviors seriously violated the relevant provisions of the Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China, the E-commerce Law of the People's Republic of China, and the Regulations on the Implementation of the Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China. After the case was investigated, the State Administration for Market Regulation immediately instructed the e-commerce platforms to take immediate actions. All seven platforms have already removed unverified "ghost shops" from their platforms and ceased cooperation with related delivery platforms for food delivery. This article is adapted from the official website of the State Administration for Market Regulation. Editor: Feng Qiuyi.