Steps are being taken in Nanjing to make food delivery cleaner and safer. For all involved, from diner to deliverer, it is hoped measures going in place will help shore up the reputation of an industry that is increasingly battered.
One of the biggest concerns among those fond of their delivery is that of hygiene. Many a rather unpleasant tale has been told about what happens to our food before it even gets in those delivery boxes.
Hence the launch of a new initiative which enables real-time monitoring of the goings on in the kitchens of those preparing our food.
Financial media outlet, East Money, reports that many catering companies have installed a number of cameras in their back kitchens to show the processing environment via the internet. Consumers can access the feed just as easily as they browse the dishes available for purchase in the store’s online shops.
Also available for review are the companies’ license approval information and daily supervision reports.
A representative of Nanjing’s Yuhuatai District stated that 211 enterprises in the district are already participating in the initiative.
Then there’s what happens while the food is on its way to us. Yes, it’s those pesky, maniacal delivery guys on their ebikes.
And it is the places where those riders come into close contact with pedestrians that are the greatest worry. In many parts of Nanjing, strenuous efforts are under way to prevent the delivery riders from entering pedestrian zones. Problem is, the enterprising riders always find a way around.
In one particular area, beside the Leshang Tiandi complex on Shengtai Xi Lu in Jiangning District, a shortcut used daily by riders speeding dangerously past pedestrians has even been dubbed by locals as “suicide alley”. Spherical concrete bollards recently placed across the access points to the alley were simply removed in the middle of the night by delivery riders operating in consort.
Local authorities were then left with only one choice; cement the bollards in place and post a security guard to quite literally watch the cement dry.
Tough measures. But extreme situations call for extreme solutions. With signage prohibiting riders ignored by one and all, watching cement dry in Nanjing may well become a popular, if a bit unusual, new career choice.
