People's Daily pays attention to the high packaging fees for takeout: How to charge more reasonably?

With the rapid development of the food delivery industry, ordering takeout has become an indispensable part of people's lives. Recently, there are more and more voices roast about the high cost of takeout packaging on major online platforms and social media.

After logging into a well-known online complaint platform, the reporter found that the related complaints were concentrated in situations such as "food delivery merchants repeatedly charging packaging fees", "consumers did not receive clear rules and instructions about packaging fees and standards when ordering meals", "packaging fees are hidden in orders and bound to food products, forcing consumers to consume".

Mr. Zhang, a resident of Hefei, Anhui, once encountered high packaging fees when ordering meals. Recently, Mr. Zhang was on a business trip in a certain place in Anhui and ordered a takeout order. On the take out order, the reporter saw that Mr. Zhang ordered a bowl of Fried Rice, a box of peanuts and several kebabs, with a total price of 119 yuan, but the packing fee was up to 11 yuan, and the actual payment was 9.8 yuan. "I usually order takeout, but the packaging fee is only one or two yuan. I've never seen anything as high as this time," Mr. Zhang said. He thought that businesses might separate the barbecue packaging to avoid cross flavors and take insulation measures.

When he received the takeout, he found that all the dishes were packed in a large plastic bag, especially the skewers were all packed in a tin foil bag. "The packaging is very ordinary, and the cost is at most two yuan," Mr. Zhang said with a bitter smile.

When the reporter clicked on the "Packaging Fee" option of the order and wanted to view the details, the page displayed an explanation that "according to relevant national policies and requirements... corresponding packaging fees will be charged", and the specific packaging fees cannot be seen.

So, how is the cost of takeout packaging determined? What are the standards? How to supervise on a daily basis? The reporter contacted a certain food delivery platform. The platform staff told reporters that when merchants enter the food delivery platform, they will sign an agreement that clearly stipulates that the maximum packaging fee for food delivery is 4.8 yuan, and exceeding this amount is considered a violation. As for how to collect the packaging fee, it is up to the merchant to decide, and the platform will conduct daily supervision.

How is the platform regulated? How to handle problems discovered? Under the questioning of the reporter, the staff stated that the so-called "daily supervision" actually relies more on customer complaints and the platform's intervention in subsequent processing. The reporter described Mr. Zhang's situation, and the staff member stated that such high packaging fees are definitely not allowed. If the merchant refuses to refund, the platform will compensate Mr. Zhang with a corresponding amount of unconditional red envelope.

In interviews, some consumers reported that some beverage stores do not charge packaging fees for orders purchased offline and taken away, but charge this fee for purchases made on food delivery platforms. Some consumers also expressed that the packaging fee should have been a necessary operating cost for businesses, and as long as it is not special packaging, it should not be charged extra.

What is the reason for the arbitrary charging of takeout packaging fees? A noodle shop operator told reporters, "Nowadays, the commission fees for food delivery platforms are relatively high, usually around 20%. If we include store rent, water and electricity costs, it is common to lose money on food delivery. In this situation, merchants are charging packaging fees recklessly, which is really helpless."

When searching for prices related to takeout plastic bags and boxes on a certain online shopping platform, the reporter found that taking a common 480ml capacity takeout plastic box as an example, 50 sets cost a total of 11.5 yuan, with an average of only 0.23 yuan per set. If the purchase quantity is large and the cost is lower, most merchants can control it at around 10 cents.

How should consumers protect their rights in such situations? Lawyer Liu Min from Shanghai Central Law Firm pointed out that it is reasonable for food delivery merchants or platforms to charge appropriate packaging fees for food delivery. However, if they arbitrarily charge "packaging fees" or "packaging fees", it is suspected of infringing on the legitimate rights and interests of consumers. Article 8 of the Consumer Rights Protection Law stipulates that consumers have the right to know the true situation of the goods or services they purchase or use; Article 10 stipulates that consumers have the right to fair trade. Consumers have the right to obtain fair trading conditions such as quality assurance, reasonable prices, and accurate measurements when purchasing goods or receiving services, and have the right to refuse forced trading behavior from operators.

Lawyer Liu Min believes that without informing consumers of the charging standards, rules, and specific packaging standards for packaging fees, food delivery merchants may repeatedly charge packaging fees for individual products or still charge packaging fees for products with their own packaging, which violates consumers' rights to information and fair trade. In addition, Article 9 of the Consumer Rights and Interests Protection Law stipulates that consumers have the right to choose goods or services independently... Businesses "hide" packaging fees and meal expenses, bundle sales, and force consumption, which infringes on consumers' right to information and independent choice, and consumers have the right to say "no".

So how should delivery platforms take on regulatory responsibilities? The relevant person in charge of the Consumer Rights Protection Committee of Hefei City stated that food delivery platforms should introduce packaging fee pricing standards for different price ranges of food. When reviewing merchant information, the packaging fee module should be reviewed to avoid high priced packaging, duplicate packaging fees, etc. If a similar situation occurs, consumers can directly contact the delivery service provider for negotiation and resolution, or file a complaint with the delivery platform, consumer association, or market supervision and management department.