China’s graft watchdog yesterday called for stricter supervision of restaurants that chase rapid success online after a series of food safety scandals, as regulators continue to ramp up pressure on social media and the tech sector.
In a commentary on its Web site, the Chinese Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said so-called wanghong (網紅) restaurants — those with explosive online popularity — must ensure public safety.
It highlighted examples of popular restaurants that have recently been exposed for the use of fake duck blood, expired and rotten ingredients, and unsanitary food preparation practices.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“Some restaurant brands are rapidly expanding their popularity with the help of online marketing hype, while others are created with the aim of quickly making money,” the commentary said.
Authorities should strictly investigate food safety problems and make the results of investigations public, it said.
They should also step up supervision, including inspection, sampling, monitoring and media supervision.
China has boosted efforts to bring its tech and social media firms under tighter control in the past few weeks, with regulations targeting “chaotic” celebrity fan culture and algorithms used by technology companies to drive their business.
China is also framing rules to ban Internet companies whose data pose potential security risks from listing outside the country, including in the US.
On Saturday, China’s top social media platforms, Wechat (微信), Douyin (抖音), Sina Weibo (新浪微博) and Kuaishou (快手), said they would begin to “rectify” accounts not officially registered with the authorities that publish financial information.
This follows an announcement by the Cyberspace Administration of China that it would look into accounts that have repeatedly released financial news illegally, distorted economic policy interpretation, badmouthed financial markets, spread rumors and disrupted network communications.
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