CATCHING CRABS

Fresh foods bring a new range of problems for China's army of regulators. Watchdogs are concerned that imported fresh food, if not properly checked, could bring with it food safety problems.

In 2013, Tmall tried to sell crabs from Germany, but the planned sale was pulled by regulators after shoppers had placed orders, with health and environmental risks cited as the reason for the withdrawal.

Carol Fung, a JD.com vice president, told Xinhua that a new deal with the government will reduce such risks. Stronger controls of imported food sold on JD.com and greater transparency in provenance and regulation are guaranteed.

Just as with other products, Alibaba, JD et al have to deal with counterfeit food. An importer of Canadian farm produce told Xinhua recently that as the company prepared to open online about a year ago, they were surprised to find other merchants already selling "identical but questionable products".

The importer declined to say where the alleged fakes were sold, but brought the evidence to the attention of the retailers concerned. "Many 'imported' products sold online in China are actually not imported at all and their quality standards do not necessarily tally with those of the 'exporting' countries," the importer said.

"Many of these fake food products were sold by merchants at well regarded online marketplaces, but those who run these sites simply look the other way," the importer said. "It hurts the consumer and it hurts us."