Reporter Chen Xuening and Yang Tianyue

Three cups of milk tea are packed in one bag, but three packing fees are charged; the packing fee for a meal of 150 yuan accounts for 10 yuan...Nowadays, on major food delivery platforms, most restaurants charge packing fees. However, the reporter found that the packing fee charged under the name of "plastic restriction order" has become a mess in the actual transaction process. How to charge and how much to charge are all decided by each merchant.

Food packing fees lack unified standards

Recently, the official website of KFC showed that ZJS has upgraded the insulation of the delivery packing bags and provided a special packing service, so it will charge a packing service fee. Among them, except for beverages, the rest of the food charges 0.6 yuan to 2.5 yuan per serving. As soon as the news came out, the relevant topic caused heated discussion.

"Do we also have packing fees when we order food?" Ms. Liu and her colleagues usually solve the lunch problem through takeout, but they have not paid attention to the packing fee before. After checking the orders for the past month, they found that whether it is tea, snacks, or meals, there is basically a packaging fee, and the most expensive is as high as 10 yuan.

Where does the packaging fee come from? According to the instructions displayed on the takeaway platform, according to the relevant national policy requirements, plastic shopping bags shall not be provided free of charge. Since merchants need to use plastic bags and other materials to pack takeaway goods, they charge corresponding packaging fees. This is reasonable and compliant. However, in actual transactions, packaging fees have been repeatedly criticized by consumers due to the lack of standards and unreasonable pricing.

Take tea drinks as an example. Most brands charge packaging fees based on the number of cups. The reporter ordered 3 cups of milk tea at the Guijie store of Mixue Ice City, and the packaging fee was 0.6 yuan for each cup, but only one insulation bag was used for delivery, which was exactly the same as the insulation bag used for one cup.

Barbecue restaurants, hot pot restaurants, etc. are the "hardest hit areas" of packaging fees. On the page of a Jinzhou barbecue restaurant, each skewer is charged a packaging fee of 0.3 yuan or 0.35 yuan. The packaging fee is 6.2 yuan out of the total consumption of 76 yuan, but when it is actually delivered to the consumer's home, it is just wrapped in tin foil and covered with an insulation bag. "Charging by the string is a bit exaggerated. Is there a difference between 10 strings and 15 strings?" Some consumers questioned in the comments, and the merchant did not give a clear answer.

The packaging fee is generally higher than the cost price of the meal box

In addition to the lack of a unified standard for pricing, many consumers also question the high pricing of the packaging fee.

The reporter learned that a large number of restaurants charge a packaging fee of 1 yuan per meal box, and some even reach 2 to 3 yuan. Ms. Liu showed the reporter an order record at a chain restaurant. The page showed that the total order amount was 154.9 yuan, of which the packaging fee was 10 yuan, 2.5 yuan for each of the three dishes, 1 yuan for a steamed bun, and 1.5 yuan for a roujiamo. "According to the platform's explanation, the packaging fee is the material fee. Then these meal boxes are really expensive!" Ms. Liu said helplessly.

Is the cost of a lunch box really that high? The reporter searched for "takeaway lunch boxes" on the Taobao platform and saw many common takeaway boxes. Taking a transparent "thickened food-grade PP disposable lunch box" with a sales volume of more than 100,000 pieces as an example, 100 square lunch boxes with lids with a capacity of 1000 ml are priced at 36.45 yuan, and the cost of each is only about 0.3 yuan. Many catering practitioners revealed that the price of the packaging fee is indeed slightly higher than the cost price of the lunch box, and the price of takeaway meals is sometimes higher than that of dine-in meals. "There are commissions and delivery costs for opening takeaways, so we will also make up a little bit on the packaging fee."

"From the perspective of price, how much the packaging fee is charged is a business decision of the merchant, and it can be set independently based on the operating costs and supply and demand. But this does not mean that the merchant can charge as much as he wants. The price must be reasonable, clearly marked, and clearly informed to consumers." Chen Yinjiang, deputy secretary-general of the Consumer Rights Protection Law Research Institute of the Chinese Law Society, said that online trading platforms should also assume corresponding responsibilities and let consumers fully know.

Restaurants should provide flexible packaging options

As the weather gradually warms up, many hot foods will no longer require thermal packaging. So, can consumers choose not to use thermal bags and not pay for packaging?

The reporter saw that on the takeaway platform, most stores cannot choose the packaging method, and the packaging fee is automatically calculated into the bill. Taking KFC's delivery service as an example, if you order a two-person meal, the 2 yuan packaging fee will be automatically included in the bill. Consumers can only use the thermal packaging provided by the merchant and cannot choose simple packaging separately.

Chen Yinjiang also said that merchants should provide consumers with more packaging options based on actual conditions. "It is reasonable for takeaways to ensure the quality of food through packaging, and merchants can also provide upgraded packaging services. However, the so-called thermal packaging cannot be over-recommended, otherwise it will mean forced consumption, which will not only increase consumers' expenses, but also cause pollution and waste." Chen Yinjiang said.

Previously, the Jiangsu Provincial Consumer Protection Committee also called on operators to give consumers the right to choose, allowing consumers to choose whether to use plastic shopping bags or recyclable environmentally friendly packaging according to their own needs.

In addition, some consumers questioned that merchants who did not charge for packaging offline would charge packaging fees online. Chen Yinjiang believes that merchants should formulate clear charging standards, publicize them on the takeaway page, and respond to consumers' questions in a timely manner, "rather than charging consumers fees in the name of environmental protection."

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