"Gathering·Food Safety Guide" Series｜"Scrap Food" Cheap but also safe (People's Concern)

"Bargain price" and "stock up by pound"... Recently, various "leftover foods" such as ham heads and bread edges have been very popular on some e-commerce platforms. These "leftover foods" made from fragmentary materials produced during food processing cannot be sold as normal products due to their irregular appearance, so they are cheaper, while the materials and quality are the same as normal products, which makes many consumers love them. However, some consumers have also reported that some merchants have various problems with the "leftover foods" they sell, such as poor quality and high prices, inferior products being sold as good ones, and failure to comply with food safety regulations.

It is understood that some bakeries and food factories often collect the "leftovers" from the processing process and sell them at low prices. In this regard, a practitioner said: "For example, the edges of toast bread are not neat in appearance and taste a bit hard, but some consumers think they taste good. We cut them off and sell them at a lower price, which benefits customers and avoids waste."

On e-commerce platforms, the categories of "leftover food" are more diverse: meat slices, beef jerky, pecan kernels, fruit leather pieces... There are indeed many products with good quality and low prices. However, compared with offline stores, buying "leftover food" online has more variables.

The prices of some "scrap food" are similar to those of normal products, but the merchants emphasize the large quantity and affordability in their promotional language, but they manipulate the prices. The reporter found that a pound of broken biscuits was sold for 16 yuan, while the normal product was 18 yuan. A buyer commented: "When buying, you must compare carefully and don't be misled by the merchants. The difference between scraps and the real thing is only two yuan, why not buy the real thing?" The reporter also found that some scraps of meat products were even more expensive than the normal products, which puzzled consumers.

"Some consumers, especially some young people, buy 'scraps of food' not necessarily to save money, but to pursue a fresh consumption experience, and do not necessarily compare prices carefully. Some businesses have seized on this point and highlighted descriptions such as 'large quantity and affordable' in their product introductions in order to attract traffic and generate sales." Zheng Tong, a reader from Zaoyang City, Hubei Province, said in a letter.

There are also some businesses that sell "three-no products" and defective products under the banner of "scraps food". Reader Mr. Song once bought a "tiger skin cake edge" on a certain platform. He said that tiger skin cakes usually have clear patterns and a strong egg flavor, "but this product tastes like an ordinary cake, as if ordinary cake edges and tiger skin cake edges were mixed together." After Mr. Song negotiated with the merchant, the merchant said that the scraps themselves are fragments produced during the production process and cannot be held to genuine product standards. Mr. Song said: "'Scraps food' is just irregular in appearance, but the taste and quality should be the same as the authentic ones. Some businesses deliberately put the label of 'scraps' on foods that do not meet the quality standards to deceive consumers."

The reporter bought several "leftover food" and found that some products were packaged very simply, without even necessary information such as the production address and date of production. For example, a certain product of dried mango leftovers was only packed in a transparent plastic bag, without even a trademark, and only a piece of white paper with the production date and shelf life marked on it. There was no information such as the producer and production address, and it was difficult to tell the source. A food industry practitioner said that in order to control costs, manufacturers generally try to reduce the production of leftovers as much as possible. A large part of the leftovers will be recycled as raw materials and made into other products. Most of the "leftover food" currently sold on the market is sold through informal channels. "When encountering this kind of 'leftover food' that appears in large quantities, has unknown sources, and is collected in unknown ways, it is recommended that everyone be vigilant and purchase with caution." The practitioner said.

In response to the various problems with "leftover food", the Jiangsu Provincial Consumer Protection Committee reminds consumers that when purchasing "leftover food" made on site, they should ask for clear information about the production and ingredients of the food to avoid purchasing "three-no products". When shopping online, they should also check the shelf life, the source of the food and other relevant information, and identify regular operators with complete certificates, clear brands and guaranteed after-sales service.

Wang Zhongqin, a lawyer at Jinglu Law Firm, said: "Consumers should be careful to keep evidence, such as payment records, sales receipts or invoices, and product information marked on product packaging or on the shelves when the products are sold. If they find that their legitimate rights and interests have been infringed, they should promptly file a complaint with the relevant authorities."

In their letters, some consumers suggested that efforts should be made in both supervision and industry self-discipline to guide the production and operation of "scraps of food" onto a standardized track.

Feng Kuan, a reader from Yangquan City, Shanxi Province, said that the sales entities of "leftover food" sold offline are generally relatively clear, and it is recommended that relevant departments strengthen supervision measures and conduct random inspections to ensure food safety. However, online sales entities are numerous and diverse, so e-commerce platforms need to strictly control access, conduct qualification review of merchants, handle consumer complaints and reports in a timely manner, and establish a food safety early warning mechanism through rich data resources to protect consumer rights.

"The management and regulation of a new type of business model is a gradual improvement process. On the one hand, producers and operators of 'scraps of food' should abide by the relevant provisions of the Food Safety Law. On the other hand, it is also recommended that relevant departments and industry associations explore targeted standards and norms to avoid management blind spots, benefit consumers, and help businesses reduce waste." said Chen Xiaohang, a reader in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.

People's Daily (Page 07, January 9, 2023)