RTXS4UJ.jpg (Photo : Reuters)
The Shanghai Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) has issued a warning against ordering food via online delivery services without discretion, Shanghai Daily reported.
The piece of advice comes as online food delivery is becoming popular among citizens amid a lack of legislation to regulate the service.
Gu Zhenhua, deputy director of the SFDA, said that while ethics dictate that delivery firms work with restaurants that are properly licensed and meet food safety requirements, no regulations are currently in place to monitor their operations.
The SFDA, hence, asked the public to be cautious when choosing which restaurants to order from.
"This is a new area, but we are working with other government bodies to draw up suitable regulations in a bid to ensure the safety of food sold online," Gu said.
The SFDA's investigations found that several of the companies featured on delivery firms' websites are not licensed to prepare or sell food to the public.
One such case is of a company called "Xiangbalao Rabbi Meat Dish," which operates from a residential building and is not licensed to sell food. Other companies are working in unsanitary environments, the SFDA reported.
The administration has implored citizens to check its website, shfda.gov.cn, for the list of accredited eateries in the city along with their food safety rating before ordering food online.
Libby Wu of popular food delivery service Sherpa's said that the company makes sure every restaurant that wants to be included on their website has provided all documents proving it is licensed.
"We also send our own staff to check on the establishments and taste their food," the marketing manager said.
