For safety’s sake, vending machines must be regulated

A VENDING MACHINE offering ready-to-eat instant noodles appeared in an office building in the Xuhui district of Shanghai, on Monday. All customers needed to do was pay using the digital wallet on their smartphones and then select the flavor they wanted, and a bowl of noodles would be cooked within 45 seconds. It was shut down by the local authorities two days later. Gmw.cn comments:

Such vending machines are gaining popularity in schools, shopping complexes, as well as office buildings because of the convenience they offer. Vending machines selling coffee, juice or snacks are already common.

However, such machines should be regulated. Local authorities that shut down the machine explained that the company running the machine does not have a license to sell cooked food. Therefore they shut it down to protect people’s health. They promised to allow the business to continue if the company obtained the necessary license.

The China Commerce Association for General Merchandise recently issued a draft regulation on vending machines to solicit public opinions, which requires those operating them to follow set standards for the installation of machines, storage of the goods provided, as well as logistics.

While the regulators have performed their role well, those intending to introduce vending machines need to think clearly about any possible problems that might arise before putting money into such businesses. For example, if the company offering the noodle machines had applied to properly extend their business license before they installed the machine, their machine would not have been shut down.

It will take the joint efforts of the regulators and businesses for the industry to flourish.