Activists are calling on food delivery platforms such as Meituan and Didi to change their employment rules that discriminate against people with Hepatitis B, reports thepaper.cn.

Li Jichao, a Hepatitis B carrier and employee of the charity Yi You, delivers dumplings to Meituan CEO Wang Xing, in an effort to encourage the food delivery platform to change its employment rules that exclude all viral Hepatitis carriers. (Photo: thepaper.cn)

A delivery of takeout food was made to Didi CEO Cheng Wei and Meituan CEO Wang Xing on Wednesday by Li Jichao, an employee of the charity Yi You. Li has Hepatitis B. He hopes that the two platforms can change their employment rules so they only exclude carriers of viral Hepatitis A and E.

China's most recent list of diseases that pose a threat to food safety, which was issued in 2015, lists only viral Hepatitis types A and E. Hepatitis B is spread through blood, sex, pregnancy, and birth. It cannot be spread through contact with food.

In response, Didi said that it will carefully review its rules. And Meituan said that it always abides by rules on food safety, and that it requires food delivery staff to obtain a health certificate. Li Jichao said that he has received health certificates for work in the food industry in Guangzhou, where a Hepatitis B check is not required.