China’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection called for increased regulation of food outlets on Monday after revealing the compromised food safety of certain outlets that have been overwhelmed by internet popularity.

According to the Commission, food safety outlets whose reputation, scale and number of locations are responses to online popularity has led to compromised food safety. Among these popular food outlets, the Commission noted the use of counterfeit duck blood at Xiaolongkan, a hot pot restaurant; expired milk tea at Michelle Ice City; unclean chicken at Wallace, a fast food outlet; unclean soup at Yang Guofu; perished fruit at Nayuki’s Tea; and supermarket Darunfa washing old meat to mask the smell.

While the Commission found that supervision of a food outlet found to have poor safety is necessary after the revelation of such incidents, the Commission also called for pre-incident supervision. It highlighted that such supervision should include random inspection, media monitoring, reporting on food safety risks and regular food safety training.

The Commission drew attention to food outlets’ financial motivations of leveraging online popularity to maximize profit. This can result in less than model food safety. When the popularity of a food outlet surges in a short period of time, the food outlet’s capability to control the quality of its output lags behind, the Commission noted.

“The long-term development of catering companies ultimately relies on food safety, excellent quality, and excellent service,” the Commission commented. “If the bottom line of food safety is abandoned, the most popular brand can only be a self-destructive sign.”

The Commission encouraged food outlets, particularly those who owe success to online popularity, to strictly self-discipline food hygiene and safety practices.