https://www.samr.gov.cn/xw/mtjj/art/2026/art_c8ec6eb8b48f41b28f9a8623e71330d4.html

Xinhua April 20, 2026

On April 17, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) imposed fines totaling 3.597 billion yuan on seven e-commerce platforms — Pinduoduo, Meituan, JD.com, Eleme (Taobao Flash Purchase), Douyin, Taobao, and Tmall — for allowing "ghost delivery" operations to proliferate on their platforms. The legal representatives and food safety directors of the seven platforms were collectively fined an additional 19.6874 million yuan.

4月17日，国家市场监督管理总局依法对拼多多、美团、京东、饿了么（淘宝闪购）、抖音、淘宝、天猫7家电商平台开出35.97亿元巨额罚单，对7家平台法定代表人和食品安全总监合计处以罚款1968.74万元，严惩平台放任"幽灵外卖"行为。

"Xinhua Viewpoint" reporters tracked the full investigation, uncovering how the "ghost delivery" operations worked and examining the public interest considerations behind the regulatory crackdown.

"新华视点"记者全程追踪，揭开"幽灵外卖"的运作真相，透视监管重拳背后的民生考量。

Pulling Back the Curtain: One Cake Order Exposes the "Ghost Delivery" Trap

撕开黑幕：一个蛋糕引出"幽灵外卖"陷阱

A consumer complaint unexpectedly exposed shocking malpractice in the birthday cake delivery industry.

一通消费者投诉，意外揪出蛋糕外卖行业的惊人猫腻。

In July 2025, the Haidian District Market Regulation Bureau in Beijing received a complaint that a birthday cake purchased from a store called "Sweet Words Love Letter Cake" on a certain platform had been delivered with fresh flowers stuck directly into it, raising food safety concerns.

2025年7月，北京市海淀区市场监管局接到投诉举报称，在某平台"甜颜情书蛋糕"店铺购买的生日蛋糕上直接插着鲜花，怀疑有食品安全问题。

Enforcement officers began investigating immediately. Online, the store looked impeccable: it claimed to have 378 chain locations, processed over ten thousand orders a month, and displayed polished product photos and food business licenses prominently posted — every appearance of a legitimate, trustworthy brand.

执法人员接诉后立即排查。从线上浏览，这家店铺的展示格外亮眼：宣称坐拥378家连锁门店，月销订单过万单，精致的蛋糕实拍图、整齐公示的食品经营许可证……怎么看都是正规靠谱的品牌门店。

But when enforcement officers physically checked more than 20 of the store's Beijing locations one by one, they found that none of them had a physical storefront, and all of the business license numbers were forged.

可当执法人员对其北京地区20余家店铺逐一核查后，却发现北京地区店铺均无实体店，且经营许可证号均为伪造。

In August 2025, after an initial assessment, SAMR decided to escalate the investigation, assembling a task force of more than 200 elite enforcement officers drawn from across the country to conduct the first round of on-site inspections of e-commerce platforms.

2025年8月，市场监管总局对该案初步研判后，决定提级调查，从全国抽调200余名执法骨干组成专案组，对电商平台开展首轮现场核查。

As the investigation deepened, the truth was peeled back layer by layer.

随着调查深入，真相被层层揭开。