Ninety-nine percent of restaurants in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei province, had no license to deliver boxed lunches, Wuhan Evening News reported on Tuesday.
About 4.21 million lunches were delivered every day in the city, the report said.
However, of the 5,000 restaurants providing the service, only 22 were licensed.
About 90 percent of lunch boxes were supplied by small restaurants, and this raised concerns over food safety, the report said.
In response, an association to oversee standards was established in Wuhan on Monday, the report said.