Unwelcome spotlight falls on food ordering and delivery app Ele.me

The rapid development of China's online food ordering market has hit a bump, after the country's State broadcaster named and shamed the sector's biggest player on a widely watched TV program.

Ele.me, the online food ordering and delivery application backed by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, has fallen under the spotlight after the program broadcast that it allowed unqualified vendors to sell food through its online platform.

The food and drug administrations in Shanghai and Chengdu, Sichuan province, both said on Wednesday they have launched investigations into Ele.me.