The meeting of the antitrust regulator with company representatives follows months of fierce competition, during which the companies offered a blizzard of food delivery discounts to win over users.
China's top market regulator on Friday urged the country's three major food delivery platforms to regulate their promotional activities and engage in rational competition.
This followed a regulatory talk on competition in the food delivery sector that the State Administration for Market Regulation held with Ele.me, Meituan and JD.com.
The administration called on the three firms to adhere strictly to the country's e-commerce, anti-unfair competition and food safety laws, and to jointly promote the healthy, sustained development of the catering service industry.
On the same day, SAMR also held a separate meeting addressing food safety issues linked to live-streaming e-commerce. According to a statement from the regulator, investigations revealed that some food products sold during recent live-streamed sessions contained excessive amounts of food additives or pesticide residues. Representatives from various live-streaming platforms and influencer agencies were present, although the regulator did not disclose specific names.
The regulator’s actions highlight growing concerns over market order and consumer protection in both online food delivery and live-streaming commerce, sectors that have rapidly expanded in recent years.
Source: China Daily, SCMP
