This study investigates the impact of profit-seeking behavior by online food delivery platforms on food safety risks and explores the interactions among government regulations, platform profit strategies, and restaurant behavior. Using Meituan in China as a case study, an evolutionary game model was developed to analyze the interests between the platform and restaurants. The analysis revealed that the platform consistently pursued high overall profit, leading to increased food safety risks due to restaurants engaging in opportunistic behavior. While increased government regulation can influence restaurant behavior, it doesn't change the platform's profit-seeking nature. The study suggests that new regulatory strategies are needed to improve government regulation efficiency and reduce costs without reducing the platform's overall payoff.

Xiaoting Dai, Linhai Wu