BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The State Administration for Market Regulation has issued a notice launching a nationwide six-month special campaign to rectify false advertising in online food sales.

During the campaign, market regulators will combine full-coverage regulation with targeted crackdown to ensure the safety of online food consumption for the public, the administration said.

The move comes amid rising challenges to food safety posed by the rapid growth of livestreaming e-commerce and online shopping. Issues such as "ghost shop" cases and false advertising in online food sales have drawn increasing public concern.

In response, the administration recently issued rules targeting online food delivery and online food sales, with the aim of clarifying platform responsibilities, regulating business operations and strengthening penalties for violations.

In April, it has imposed a total fine of 3.597 billion yuan (about 524 million U.S. dollars) on seven major e-commerce platforms including Pinduoduo, Meituan, JD.com, Ele.me (now rebranded as Taobao Flash Sale), Douyin, Taobao, and Tmall for their involvement in a string of food delivery "ghost shop" cases and food safety violations.

These platforms have been ordered to rectify their actions and suspend the addition of new cake shops for periods ranging from three to nine months, according to the administration.

China has been stepping up efforts to ensure food safety across the entire chain. Over the past year, authorities have improved institutional frameworks, enhanced inter-agency coordination, and leveraged technologies such as big data for smarter regulation. ■