If you fear your delivered meal might be opened or damaged during delivery, worry no more, as a district in Shanghai is distributing a total of 50,000 loop locks for delivered meals.

(A delivered meal sealed with a plastic loop lock)

The first 50,000 locks have already been put into trial in the Metro City Plaza and SML Center in Xuhui District. While ordering the food, users of online food delivery platform Meituan Waimai are provided with the option of “food safety locks.” If they use other online food delivery platforms, they can make a phone call to the merchant to request a lock for their meal. Before the delivery person comes to take the meal, the merchant will lock the “food safety lock.” As the plastic loop cannot be reconnected once it is opened, consumers can tell whether the meal has been opened during the delivery.

If the consumers find the food safety loop has been damaged, they can then refuse to accept the meal.

Following the launch of the first batch of 50,000 “food safety locks,” the market supervision and management bureau of Xuhui District will collect feedback from consumers, businesses and other parties before popularizing the locks on a larger scale and further ensuring the security of delivered food.