How to eat safely and at ease during the Spring Festival? Listen to Henan Province's chief science expert Liu Zhiyong answer consumers' questions

The Spring Festival of the Year of the Snake is approaching, and food consumption in major supermarkets, farmers' markets, and online platforms is also entering a peak period. How to ensure that people eat safely, comfortably, and healthily during the Spring Festival is an issue of great concern to the whole society.

Liu Zhiyong, a "Double Hundred" science and technology communication expert of the Chinese Nutrition Society, a standing committee member of the Drinking Water and Health Branch of the Chinese Nutrition Society, a member of the Chinese Society of Health Information and Health Medical Big Data, a member of the Henan Food Safety Expert Committee, the chief popular science expert of Henan Province, the chief physician of the Henan Food and Salt Inspection Technology Research Institute, and an adjunct professor at the School of Public Health of Zhengzhou University, recently accepted an interview with the media to answer questions and resolve doubts about the hot issues of food safety that consumers are most concerned about during the Spring Festival.

Question 1: Some self-media accounts often expose some shocking food safety issues, and it is difficult for consumers to distinguish the authenticity. What do you think of this phenomenon?

Liu Zhiyong: There are indeed food safety issues at present, such as:

1. Food fraud: The phenomenon of passing off fake products as genuine ones and inferior products as good ones occurs frequently. Although it may not necessarily cause direct harm to health, it seriously infringes on the interests of consumers, undermines consumers' confidence in food safety, and disrupts the fair competition order in the market.

2. Unreasonable dietary structure: Chinese residents generally have the problem of excessive oil intake and insufficient intake of beans and dairy products, which affects their health and quality of life.

3. Adjustments to food additive standards, such as adjustments to the scope and amount of sodium dehydroacetate, are intended to protect public health and the development of the food industry, but may cause some misunderstandings and controversies during implementation.

4. Microbial foodborne diseases: Microbial foodborne diseases represented by Escherichia coli O157 are major food safety issues of global concern.

Information about food safety accounts for a large proportion on the Internet. The spread of online rumors has the following main characteristics:

1. Ignoring the facts: Fabricating so-called truth out of thin air and using provocative language such as "toxic" and "carcinogenic" to mislead the public.

2. Rehashing old news: Changing the face of past events to create new panic.

3. Driven by economic interests: Some companies spread rumors to attack competitors or leverage marketing opportunities.

When faced with food safety issues exposed by self-media accounts, consumers should not blindly follow one side of the story but pay attention to the investigation results of official agencies, learn more about food safety knowledge, and improve their food safety consumption capabilities.

Question 2: How can people distinguish the authenticity of negative news about food safety on the Internet?

Liu Zhiyong:

1. Check the source of information: Reliable food safety information usually comes from authoritative organizations. If the source of information is unknown, or if it is unverified content randomly posted by some personal self-media accounts, it is likely to be a rumor.

2. Analyze the rationality of the content: Real food safety information is generally supported by scientific research, experimental data, etc. If a statement lacks scientific basis and is just imaginary or subjective speculation, it is likely to be a rumor. In addition, check whether there are logical loopholes in the information content. If the statement is self-contradictory, inconsistent, or the cause and effect relationship cannot be explained clearly, it is worthy of suspicion.

3. Compare with authoritative statements: When you see suspicious food safety information, you can check the official websites and announcements of relevant government departments and authoritative organizations to see if there are any statements that contradict it.

4. Pay attention to the characteristics of spreading: Rumors often use exaggerated and shocking titles to attract attention, such as "Shocking! Do not eat this kind of food, it will cause cancer!" etc. Real information usually uses more objective titles. In addition, rumors tend to spread faster and more widely, and lack effective review and screening during the spreading process.

5. Identify common forms of rumors: Common forms of food rumors include confusing the public (using processed pictures and videos), being released by non-professional organizations (marketing organizations or personal accounts), being full of errors (lack of expertise or misuse of professional terms), rehashing old posts (slightly modifying old posts and spreading them again), and having vague information (lack of specific time and place scientific data).

Question 3: What kind of food is called safe food?

Liu Zhiyong: In each link of production, processing, storage, transportation and sales, we follow a series of statutory requirements, standards and specifications to ensure that the food is non-toxic and harmless, meets the necessary nutritional requirements, and does not cause any acute, subacute or chronic harm to human health. We call it safe food.

Question 4: Why are food additives added to food? Are they harmful to health?

Liu Zhiyong: Food additives generally have the following functions:

1. Protect food safety: Some food additives such as antioxidants and preservatives can reduce the risk of bacterial and mold contamination in food, thereby protecting food safety.

2. Improve taste and appearance: Food additives can improve the taste, appearance and texture of food, such as increasing the sweetness or saltiness of food, adjusting the pH value, making bread softer, and making meat products more tender.

3. Enhance nutritional value: Some food additives such as vitamins and minerals can supplement the nutrients lacking in food and enhance the nutritional value of food.

4. Convenient processing and production: Food additives can improve processing efficiency, reduce costs, and improve processing technology, thereby facilitating food processing and production.

It has been scientifically proven that eating food will not cause harm to the human body as long as it is produced with the correct use of food additives within the national food safety standards.

However, I still want to remind you: "Although food additives are not evil, they have their own meaning, but they really do not have any additional benefits for people's bodies. If you can eat fresher and more natural things, it is of course a better choice."

Question 5: Is it safe to choose food that complies with China’s food safety standards?

There is a saying that food purchased must meet international standards to be safe, but according to international consensus, international food safety standards are not mandatory, but encourage countries to formulate national standards that meet their national conditions. The so-called "international integration" of standards means that the principles, procedures and scientific basis for formulating standards must comply with the internationally accepted "rules of the game", rather than blindly requiring the number and value of standards to be consistent with international standards. What is national conditions? This includes food processing methods, production and consumption conditions, economic development levels, import and export trade, etc. Under the premise of protecting the health of the entire population, the selection of high and low food safety standards in my country is mainly based on my country's economic and trade factors. Therefore, it is safe to choose food that meets my country's food safety standards.

Question 6: When buying food during the Spring Festival, how can I check the food labels to ensure

Food freshness and safety?

Liu Zhiyong: Food labels refer to the words, graphics, symbols and all explanatory materials on pre-packaged food containers, which are used to convey information to consumers and show the characteristics and performance of food. All pre-packaged foods must have labels, and the content of the labels must be easy to understand, accurate and scientific.

1. Production date and shelf life: When buying food, you should first check the production date and shelf life. The closer the date is to the date of purchase, the fresher the product is. The shelf life refers to the period of time that the food can maintain its excellent quality under the specified storage conditions. You need to pay attention to whether the label requires special storage conditions such as refrigeration and light protection.

2. Ingredients: The ingredient list indicates the raw materials, auxiliary materials and food additives of the food according to the principle of "decreasing food usage". The raw materials with the highest content are listed first, and the ones with the lowest content are listed in order. The simpler the ingredient list, the clearer the food composition. For people with allergies, it is very important to check whether the ingredient list contains substances that may cause allergies.

3. Nutritional Information: The nutritional information on the label shows the core nutrients such as energy, protein, fat, carbohydrates and sodium contained in the food and their percentage of the nutrient reference value (NRV). NRV% indicates the percentage of a certain nutrient in 100 grams (or milliliters) of food to the total amount of that nutrient required for a healthy adult doing light physical labor in a day. Through this indicator, consumers can more clearly understand whether the nutrient content in the food meets daily needs.

4. Allergen information: For those who are allergic, please pay attention to the allergen information marked on the food label. The allergens that must be marked on food packaging in my country include grains containing bran and their products, crustaceans and their products, fish and their products, eggs and their products, peanuts and their products, soybeans and their products, milk and dairy products (including lactose), nuts and their products, etc.

Question 7: What are the common food safety issues in daily life?

Liu Zhiyong: Microbial contamination, pesticide and veterinary drug residues, heavy metal pollution, and excessive use of food additives beyond the scope and dosage, etc.

Question 8: How to ensure food safety when cooking at home during the Spring Festival?

Liu Zhiyong:

1. Keep clean: Pay attention to hand hygiene, wash hands frequently, and keep tableware, kitchen utensils and kitchen environment clean. Food containers, knives, rags and cutting boards should be cleaned and disinfected frequently to keep them clean.

2. Separate raw and cooked food: Food, kitchen utensils and containers used to process food should be separated from raw and cooked food to avoid cross contamination. It is best to use two sets of knives, utensils, cutting boards, etc. to handle raw and cooked food respectively; you can also use clean utensils to handle cooked food first, and then handle raw food.

3. Cook thoroughly: Meat, poultry, eggs, seafood and other foods must be cooked thoroughly, with the core temperature of the food reaching at least 70°C for at least 1 minute to kill most of the pathogenic microorganisms in the food. Refrigerated leftovers must be thoroughly heated before consumption.

4. Scientific preservation: Cooked food should not be stored at room temperature for more than 2 hours; cooked food placed at room temperature or in the refrigerator should be thoroughly heated before being eaten again. The refrigerator is not a "safe", so do not store food in it for too long.

5. Choose fresh: Buy fresh, non-spoiled meat, poultry, eggs, vegetables and fruits, and non-moldy staple food, beans and peanuts from regular channels. Pay attention to the storage conditions of food and ensure that the food meets the corresponding storage conditions during transportation and sales.

6. Reasonable combination: Daily diet should be diverse, mainly based on cereals, eat more fruits and vegetables, often eat milk, beans or their products, eat fish, poultry, eggs, and lean meat in moderation. The combination of meat and vegetables, coarse and fine, and a variety of colors are conducive to food diversity.

7. Pay attention to labels: Carefully read the information on pre-packaged food labels, including food name, ingredient list, net content, production date, shelf life, food production license number, etc., to ensure that the food is within the shelf life and that the label content is clear, complete and authentic.

8. Eat immediately after cooking: When cooking at home, determine the amount of ingredients and the amount of production according to the number of people in the family. Eat immediately after cooking to ensure freshness and avoid waste. If there is any leftover, put it in the refrigerator or freezer and reheat it thoroughly before eating again.

Question 9: How can we store New Year’s food correctly to ensure food safety ?

Liu Zhiyong:

1. Enough space: Make enough storage space for food, make sure food can be stored in categories and avoid stacking. You can use various storage tools such as cabinets, shelves, jars and plastic boxes.

2. Low temperature: Low temperature helps slow the growth of microorganisms in food, thereby keeping the food fresh and safe. Try to store food in a cool, dry, ventilated place, away from direct sunlight.

3. Classification storage: Classify food according to type, storage conditions and shelf life to avoid cross contamination and improve food preservation.

4. Sealed storage: Using sealed containers can effectively protect food from dust, moisture and other contaminants while maintaining the taste and freshness of the food. You can choose sealed containers made of glass, plastic or metal.

5. Humidity control: Maintaining the right humidity level is very important for storing food. Too high humidity can cause food to spoil, while too low humidity may cause food to dry out. Tools such as dehumidifiers or silica gel desiccant can be used to adjust the humidity.

6. Frequent inspection: Check the stored food regularly to ensure its quality and safety. If any food is found to be spoiled, rotten or expired, it should be disposed of in time.

7. Follow the principle: When storing food, try to follow the "first in, first out" principle, that is, eat the food you buy first, to avoid long storage time and resulting in spoilage.

Question 10: If you suspect that the food you buy for the New Year has safety issues, how should you complain and handle the situation?

Liu Zhiyong:

1. Communicate with the merchant: First, consumers should try to communicate directly with the merchant, report the problem to the merchant and seek reasonable compensation. If the merchant fails to actively deal with it or the compensation is unreasonable, further measures can be taken.

2. Call the complaint hotline: 12315: This is a unified national consumer complaint hotline, applicable to general consumer disputes and food safety issues. After calling, the market supervision and management department will conduct inspections and impose penalties on violations, but will not intervene in civil compensation disputes between consumers and merchants. Other complaint channels: Corporate complaint hotline: You can directly call the complaint hotline of the company to which the store you shop belongs to make a complaint. Official website or WeChat public account: Make a complaint through the company's official website or WeChat public account and other channels. Letters, Internet, fax, visits, mobile phone text messages: In addition to telephone calls, you can also report problems to the regulatory authorities through letters, the Internet, fax, visits, mobile phone text messages, etc.

3. Compensation standard: According to the Food Safety Law, if food does not meet safety standards, consumers have the right to demand compensation for losses and ten times the price or three times the losses from the producer or operator. If the compensation amount is less than one thousand yuan, it will be calculated as one thousand yuan.

4. Legal rights: Market supervision and management departments shall keep the information of the reporter confidential and shall not disclose it to the person being reported or to persons not related to the handling of the report. If the reporter reports in real name, in accordance with Article 46 of the Consumer Protection Law of the People's Republic of China: "If a consumer complains to the relevant administrative department, the department shall handle it and inform the consumer within seven working days from the date of receipt of the complaint."