Gone are the days when people throng out of office blocks for a quick bite at lunch

Gone are the days when people throng out of office blocks for a quick bite at lunch. In Chinese cities today, busy office workers have their meals delivered after a few simple touches on a smartphone. The process takes a few minutes, and who can resist online discount? But do the mouth-watering pictures on the phone match the sanitary conditions we expect? Recent investigations by Xinhua and other media outlets reveal worrisome findings. In theory, online catering platforms require restaurants to post pictures of their business license and health certificates online where customers place their order. While most comply, some flounder and post blurred or fake images. While the authorities have not yet received any reports of major food safety cases, there are unverified comments left on these platforms complaining about diarrhea and worse. China had 688 million Internet users by the end of 2015, with more than 90 percent using smartphones. The country has strict food safety regulations, but the proliferation of kitchens and restaurants makes supervision more difficult. Last year, the national legislature amended its seven-year-old Food Safety Law, adding provisions to govern online vendors. Confronted with Xinhua's findings, both meituan and ele.me declined to comment. Baidu repeated that it requires all registered vendors to post authentic licenses on their web wage and runs regular checks to ensure compliance.