By Yuzhou Hu

Customers will soon be able to learn all about the sanitation situation of their favorite restaurants by scanning QR codes put up in the venues, The Paper  reports.

On May 14, Shanghai Municipal Food and Drug Administration (SHFDA)  released a notice that restaurants across the city will be required to display a QR code so that diners can access the establishment's latest food safety inspection results, including the score and any failed criteria.

The current rating system consists of three tiers: a green happy face, a yellow neutral face and a red sad face. As clear as it may seem, it fails to provide enough insight for customers, since the majority of the restaurants receive a neutral face. Also, some restaurants have either hidden or altered their sign without authorization, causing customer confusion.

According to the new regulation, restaurants are required to add the QR code to their existing sign and place this sign in a highly-visible spot inside the restaurant. Anyone who attempts to tamper with the sign will be fined up to RMB30,000.

Image via people.cn

This is not the first time efforts have been made to promote kitchen hygiene and food safety in Shanghai. Since September 2016, over 2,000 'see-through' kitchens have been installed in city restaurants to grant food regulators and diners a glimpse of what’s actually going on behind the scenes.

[Title Image via Netease]

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