Authorities in Beijing are planning fines on multiple e-commerce platforms over
food delivery safety concerns, with Pinduoduo expected to face the largest
penalty of about 1.5 billion yuan, according to people familiar with the matter.
ByteDance’s Douyin, Alibaba Group’s Taobao, JD.com and Meituan may face fines
ranging from about 50 million to 700 million yuan, with final amounts subject to
change as discussions continue; sources said regulators are seeking stronger
accountability on food safety and traceability following inspections last year,
including an incident at Pinduoduo’s Shanghai headquarters where clashes with
inspectors resulted in an injury, after which the company dismissed multiple
employees.
