Can spicy strips remove the "junk food" label? Excessive additives are not the most concerning issue
In the past two days, the topic of spicy strips has not diminished. "A man has been studying spicy noodles for 20 years and built a museum for spicy noodles to prove that it is not junk food" has been on the hot search. If you carefully check the comments, you can find that this is a promotion activity for a certain spicy noodles brand. Immediately afterwards, a blogger in Shanghai shared a 5-yuan "spicy strip" in a store visit video, sparking heated discussions. After watching the full video, you will find out that this is a bread launched by a bakery that imitates the shape and taste of spicy strips.
The reason why spicy strips have received widespread attention is that they carry many people’s childhood memories and represent a cheap and delicious popular snack. However, through short video marketing, can Latiao successfully remove the label of "junk food"?
In recent years, although spicy strips manufacturers have been continuously upgrading and moving towards health, spicy strips, as snacks, still have the characteristics of "high oil", "high salt" and "high additives". The main raw materials of spicy strips are wheat flour and chili, which contain many additives. The so-called "deliciousness" and "addiction" are exactly what MSG, colorings and food additives do. Irregular spicy strips produced on the market are misused in colorants, and additives such as cyclamate, saccharin sodium, sorbic acid and potassium salts also seriously exceed standards.
Industry insiders said that spicy strips mainly use flavors, spices, pigments and sweeteners during the production and processing process. However, flavoring substances such as flavors and fragrances are highly "self-limiting" and adding too much will affect the taste and texture. As for colorings and sweeteners, even considering taste, appreciability and cost, it is not advisable to add too much.
The real risk of spicy strips lies in the production process. The production cost of spicy strips is very low, the production process is relatively simple, and the market has a large sales volume. In order to control costs, some manufacturers do not pay attention to the production environment at all. Therefore, it is difficult to guarantee the production environment and hygienic conditions of some spicy strip products.
In 2019, CCTV's "March 15" party exposed the hygienic chaos of many spicy strip companies, and the production process was shocking. Some unscrupulous merchants also use illegal additives such as gutter oil to process spicy strips. That year, the "national standard" for spicy noodles was released. The State Administration for Market Regulation strengthened the quality and safety of seasoned noodle products from six aspects: unifying the classification of "spicy noodles" food, strengthening the control of raw materials and production processes, and advocating reduction of salt, oil and sugar. Supervision requires. In 2021, the results of random inspections by the State Administration for Market Regulation showed that among about 45,000 batches of seasoned flour products, the unqualified rate was less than 1.3%. After calculation, there are still more than 500 batches of substandard spicy strips.
For consumers, the most important thing is to buy spicy strips through formal channels, especially not to buy such products from unlicensed vendors. When purchasing, pay attention to check whether the packaging is complete. The product production date, shelf life, storage conditions, ingredient list, "QS" logo, manufacturer name, factory address, contact information, etc. marked on the packaging are complete; at the same time, pay attention to whether the product has rancid oil smell and There is a problem of oil leakage. If you have such problems, do not buy.
Another important reason why disease control departments do not advocate regular consumption of spicy strips is their low nutritional content. Spicy strips are mostly made from processed soybean hulls, marinated or fried with additives such as chili powder and pigments. Their nutrients are destroyed and their salt and fat content are increased.
Hu Yang, an attending physician at the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University, believes that spicy strips are high in salt, spicy, and oily. Regular consumption may cause gastrointestinal mucosal damage, mucosal erosion, inflammation, and symptoms such as abdominal distension, indigestion, or Gastrointestinal spasms. Due to the long-term stimulation of chili pepper, oral ulcers, pharyngitis, constipation and hemorrhoids are prone to occur. For children with sensitive airways, bronchial asthma may also be induced.
Children who eat too much spicy strips will experience taste degradation, anorexia, insufficient nutritional intake, and vitamin deficiency, which will affect their physical and intellectual development.
Hu Yang mentioned that the "Snack Consumption Guide for Chinese Children and Adolescents" divides snacks into three recommended levels: "regular consumption", "appropriate consumption" and "limited consumption". Cheap snacks such as spicy strips are restricted. Many children and young people often lack the ability to control themselves and can't stop eating spicy noodles. They are completely unaware of the dangers of spicy noodles. He suggested that parents guide their children not to eat such snacks, but to eat three meals a day to ensure normal nutritional intake. "Even home-made spicy strips can only be tasted briefly."
