China solicits public opinion on new standards to regulate food delivery services

BEIJING, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's top market regulator on Wednesday began soliciting public opinion on a new set of national standards for the management of food delivery services, as the sector has seen rapid expansion in recent years.

The new standards, drafted by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and other government departments, focus on key issues affecting the food delivery sector, including platform charges, promotional activities, and the protection of the rights and interests of food delivery workers.

They aim to standardize the management of food delivery platforms, improve their service quality, and guide related platform firms to compete in an open and orderly manner, according to the SAMR.

Food delivery platforms should not introduce new charges arbitrarily, and are required to prevent non-transparent fees by enhancing the clarity of fee-information disclosure, according to the new standards, which also prohibit these platforms from directly or indirectly requiring merchants to share promotional costs.

The new standards include solid measures to ensure food safety, and to secure the rights and interests of food delivery workers, according to the SAMR.