Online food-ordering sites face probe

Three major online meal-ordering platforms pledged to intensify their oversight of businesses operating on their platforms to wipe out food safety problems.

Tang Yunhua, deputy head of Beijing Food and Drug Administration, announced on Wednesday that authorities would investigate alleged violations by the platforms - waimai.meituan.com, ele.me and waimai.baidu.com - which it said had failed to inspect certifications of hosted businesses and make the results public.

The administration also published a list of 60 restaurants running on the platforms that lack proper certificates or permits. The list included chain restaurants owned by popular brands, including two Xibei restaurants, which specialize in dishes from Northwest China, three KFC restaurants and one Subway. All the restaurants are located in Beijing.