The Food and Drug Administration in the city of Harbin, Heilongjiang decided to crack down on unlicensed restaurants, in light of the exposure of an online food service backed by the Alibaba Group, Ele.me, by the widely-watched State broadcaster CCTV on its annual World Consumer Rights Day program, on March 15.

Ele.me was the biggest player in China's online food business but was criticized for allowing unqualified vendors to sell food through its online platform. So, Harbin inspected 37 online take-away food businesses and shut down nine of them. This move followed the food and drug watchdog’s earlier efforts to clamp down on similar food vendors that operate online via Ele.me and Baidu Waimai, or Baidu Takeout.

File photo of an Ele.me delivery man. [Photo/China Daily]

The administration is targeting vendors with dirty kitchens or that have no food license and will mnot only close them but also expose them to the public. Those that make an effort to improve themselves can re-apply for a license.

The watchdog has worked with market supervisors to improve the inspection process and look for a way to cooperate with online sites in their locations.