More vacuum packed and sanitized tableware in Shanghai

People in Qingpu District say most restaurants distribute their tableware this way these days. And people we were dining with said they've seen the same thing in Chongqing and several other places in China. I have been to lots of places in China, and Qingpu is the only place I have seen vacuum packed plates, bowls, glasses and spoons. Am I out of the loop? (Also, I'd like to see a Mythbusters episode in which they test whether tableware packed in this manner is actually cleaner than the stuff we normally use in restaurants.)