Beware of "Ghost Takeout" and Build a Solid Food Safety Line

• As an invisible hidden danger in online catering, "ghost takeout" seriously threatens consumers' health and market order. Recently, many food delivery-related platforms have been legally punished for condoning such irregular behaviors, serving as a warning to the industry. These platforms were fined heavily for failing to fulfill their qualification review obligations and allowing black workshops without physical stores or with forged business qualifications to settle in. They were also required to rectify and suspend the addition of relevant stores, demonstrating the regulatory authorities' determination to rectify "ghost takeout".

• "Ghost takeout" is mostly hidden in concealed places with dirty processing environments and unknown food sources. The lack of platform supervision allows such irregular takeout to flow into the market. The recent fined cases remind us that as a hub connecting merchants and consumers, platforms must fulfill their main responsibilities, eliminate the behavior of "valuing traffic over supervision", strictly review merchants' qualifications, and cut off irregular chains.

• Consumers should also be vigilant, learn to identify "ghost takeout", give priority to merchants with complete licenses and transparent information, and actively avoid risks. Only when platforms fulfill their responsibilities and consumers take precautions can we promote the standardized development of the online catering industry and guard the food safety on everyone's tongue.