China fines 7 e-commerce platforms $527 million over ghost food deliveries
China just fined seven big e-commerce platforms, including Taobao, Meituan, and Pinduoduo, a massive $527 million after finding serious food safety issues.
The main problem? These sites let unverified vendors sell food, which led to so-called "ghost food deliveries" where you can't really tell who made your order or if it's safe.
Investigators find platforms skipped license checks
Investigators found these platforms skipped proper license checks, letting "ghost shops" run without real locations or oversight.
Some orders were even secretly passed between restaurants without customers knowing.
Now, the platforms have started removing shady vendors and cutting off risky partnerships.
They're also banned from adding new cake shops for up to nine months, all part of a bigger push to keep online food orders safe in China.