What do you think of the most concerning questions?, Controversy over "Prefabricated Vegetables Entering Schools"

Recently, there has been controversy over the use of pre made meals in schools, with many parents expressing concerns about the safety and nutrition of pre made meals.

On the other hand, the pre made food market is developing rapidly. According to the Five Year Work Plan of the China Cuisine Association, the penetration rate of pre made dishes in China has reached 10% to 15%, and it is expected to increase to 15% to 20% by 2030, with a market size of 1.2 trillion yuan. Many official documents also mention the development of prefabricated dishes, such as the "Measures for Restoring and Expanding Consumption" issued by the National Development and Reform Commission, which states that "cultivating a 'breeding base+central kitchen+cold chain logistics+catering stores' model, tapping into the potential of the prefabricated vegetable market, and accelerating the construction of prefabricated vegetable bases"; The Opinions of the State Council on Doing a Good Job in the Key Work of Comprehensively Promoting Rural Revitalization in 2023 mention the need to "enhance the standardization and standardization level of industries such as clean vegetables and central kitchens, and cultivate and develop the pre made vegetable industry.".

"Some consumers have misunderstandings or biases about pre made dishes, and many industry insiders, including frontline regulators, dare not speak up for fear of being seen as" endorsing "or" whitewashing "the pre made dish industry. However, some self media and netizens are not familiar with pre made dishes, and in order to gain attention, they deliberately amplify their questioning voice instead of clarifying misunderstandings. This is not only detrimental to the pre made dish industry, but also to food safety." Some experts, scholars, practitioners, and frontline law enforcement officers say that the public's attention to pre made dish safety and nutrition can be understood, but should not be misinterpreted as "safety and nutrition". ".

Food additives ≠ Unsafe

Professor Li Shuguang from the Nutrition and Food Hygiene Teaching and Research Office of the School of Public Health at Fudan University introduced that according to the group standards for pre made dishes drafted by the China Cuisine Association and others, pre made dishes can be divided into four categories: ready to serve category, mainly referring to clean dishes that are free from washing and cutting; Instant cooking, such as semi-finished dishes containing seasoning packets or pre marinated dishes that require heating for cooking; Instant food, including canned food, various salads, etc; Instant heat, such as quick-frozen rice dumpling, self heating hotpot, etc.

The production and processing methods of different types of pre made vegetables vary, and online rumors such as "pre made vegetables contain preservatives" and "pre made vegetables lack nutrition" are inaccurate.

For example, ready to eat pre made dishes only involve cleaning and rough processing of ingredients, and do not involve food additives. They are common in catering enterprises, enterprises, and public households. As long as the ingredients themselves are safe, they will not increase safety risks by becoming "pre made dishes".

For example, in group meals, there are ready to eat pre made dishes from the central kitchen. After normal processing and cooking, some dishes are placed in insulated boxes and distributed through hot chain; Some also quickly cool down, cold chain delivery, and reheat supply. In these processes, there is also no need for food additives such as preservatives.

Among several types of pre made dishes, namely cooking and instant heating pre made dishes can easily lead to misunderstandings. The ingredients for this type of pre made dishes are mostly pre processed or paired with cooking packages, and the public is concerned about the food additives in these pre processed and cooking packages.

However, containing food additives does not mean it is unsafe.

Legitimate pre packaged dishes must comply with national standards such as SB/T10379 "Quick Frozen and Modified Food" and GB7718-2011 "General Rules for Labeling of Pre packaged Food in National Food Safety Standards". Some companies have set corporate standards, with higher requirements than national standards. Therefore, "there are no standards for pre made dishes" is a rumor. If a company does not comply with the standards and adds them in violation of the Food Safety Law, the product cannot be launched, and the company will also be severely punished.

The head chef of a well-known restaurant also admitted, "It's almost impossible to say you don't eat pre made dishes. Our ingredients are purchased on the same day and cooked on the same day, but some seasonings need to be prepared in advance, and some 'composite seasonings' are provided by suppliers. When citizens cook their own dishes, they need to use seasonings, which are also pre made, and some even contain food additives. Strictly speaking, dishes that use these pre made seasonings are also pre made dishes. Is it necessary to reject them' one size fits all '?" He suggested that the public should not feel' unsafe 'when they see the word' pre made '.

"Prefabricated vegetables are not unsafe, but safer," said a frontline supervisor bluntly. "In terms of production technology, prefabricated vegetables produced according to standards can better maintain the bottom line of food safety."

He said, "Prefabricated dishes are not new things that have only emerged in recent years, but products that existed over a decade or even decades ago. They are particularly common in chain catering enterprises, especially in Western fast food restaurants. Hamburgers, fried chicken, French fries, etc. are all pre processed in the factory and then heated on site according to demand. Since then, standardization of Chinese cuisine has become a goal pursued by many catering enterprises, with the emergence of central kitchens, clean dishes, and cooking bags. Standardized production environments and unified production standards not only help ensure food safety, but also maintain consistent flavors."

The statement that "pre made vegetables contain preservatives and other additives, so they are not safe" is also untenable——

Firstly, modern food industry cannot do without food additives. Food additives are allowed to be used in various countries and regions around the world, and the safety of using food additives within standard limits is guaranteed.

Secondly, it is not only pre packaged dishes that have preservatives and other additives, many pre packaged foods also have them. Some parents believe that schools should not give their children pre packaged meals, but they overlook that in daily life, children tend to eat a lot of pre packaged foods, some of which are provided voluntarily by parents. "It's not an exaggeration to say that there are no fewer food additives in these types of products than pre packaged meals."

Once again, there is currently no research to prove that consuming too much food containing additives increases food safety risks, as there are many foods containing additives and individual consumption habits vary, making it difficult to conduct quantitative analysis.

The person believes that some voices in the current market are not very rational. Some self media either do not understand the industry or cater to the "melon eating masses" who do not know the truth, and their interpretation of pre made dishes is biased. They misunderstand the practice of some enterprises producing low-quality pre made dishes as the same for the entire industry; Some even refer to the clarification remarks as "whitewashing" or online bullying, causing professionals to be hesitant to speak up. "We understand and agree that consumers value food safety, but we cannot stigmatize pre made dishes just because we do not understand the industry."

Reheating ≠ No nutrition

In fact, after the controversy over "pre made meals entering schools", some Shanghai parents called the 12345 hotline to inquire about the food supply situation at their children's schools; Some parents also suspect the use of pre made dishes due to their children's complaints that the food is not delicious. As of the time of publication, after investigation by relevant parties, it has been found that all the catering enterprises involved in the school have complete qualifications, some using ready to eat pre made dishes, and some using ready to eat pre made dishes. However, there is no phenomenon of the school introducing problematic pre made dishes or using cooking packages.

So, why do some parents or students feel that campus food is not delicious? "This is the bottleneck of collective catering, which does not exist separately in schools. Similar problems exist in enterprise and public institution canteens, as well as in market-oriented self-service restaurants. The main reason is related to processing methods." The head chef of the aforementioned catering company said that collective catering is a "big pot dish", not a "small pot dish", and cooking is difficult, especially for some ingredients. The length of time between serving and dining, as well as the process of "pre heating cooling reheating", may affect the taste, "but 'not delicious' is not' unsafe 'or' not nutritious'."

Li Shuguang also expressed that some consumers are worried that pre made dishes may not be nutritious, but they are actually overthinking it. "During the processing of food, there will be a certain degree of nutrient loss, and this is true for pre made dishes, as well as freshly made dishes."

The proportion of nutrients lost during the cooking process varies among different types of pre made dishes. Among them, pre made dishes are mainly prepared by cleaning and pre-treatment ingredients, which is basically consistent with the nutrient loss when cooking fresh ingredients. Even if there is nutrient loss in dishes that need to be reheated, there is no need to worry too much. "Citizens who have leftover food in their homes often eat it after heating, and this process also leads to nutrient loss. Do citizens mind?"

Li Shuguang suggests not to exaggerate the nutritional loss that occurs during the processing of pre made dishes. If you really want to consider nutrient intake, you should pay attention to the quality and variety of pre made dishes. Choosing the right food, even pre made dishes, can still provide balanced nutrition.

Eliminate biases and strictly manage them

Of course, different brands of pre made dishes have differences in ingredients and ingredients, which can lead to differences in taste and nutrition. At present, there is indeed a phenomenon of mixed quality in the pre made food market, and it cannot be ruled out that some small enterprises supply pre made food with substandard products.

This may be the fundamental reason why some parents oppose the use of pre made meals on campus. For the education department and schools, if choosing pre made dishes, strict control should be exercised, suppliers should be carefully selected, and explanations should be provided to parents and students to ensure that they can consume with confidence.

Mr. Zeng, the person in charge of a pre made vegetable enterprise, said that the authoritative department's proposal to develop the pre made vegetable industry means that the industry is generally positive, because pre made vegetables can meet the needs of "safety, convenience, and deliciousness", and can also drive primary agricultural products to follow standardized processing processes and increase added value. But when promoting pre made dishes, targeted science popularization should be carried out, and there should also be regulatory methods that keep up with the times.

The first thing to popularize is that not all pre made dishes contain food additives, including pre made dishes that can be cooked without or with minimal use of food additives.

Currently, many pre made food companies have launched "cleaning label" products, which means "don't add what you can, and add less if you can.".

Some brands have launched "clean label" pre made dishes, which from the ingredient list, basically do not contain food additives

Looking at the ingredient list of these pre made dishes, it is not difficult to find that they are basically consistent with "consumers make them themselves" and "restaurants make them now", and the use of food additives is very restrained. At the same time, these types of products rely on "prefabrication", which eliminates the need for consumers and catering enterprises to process ingredients, allowing for both convenience and deliciousness.

A time-honored brand in Shanghai has collaborated with a fresh supermarket this year to develop several pre cooked dishes with strong local flavors, such as soy sauce fried pork belly and stir fried pork liver. Listed for 3 months, with a month on month growth rate of 20%. Prefabricated food R&D purchaser Liu Jun said, "They are all home cooked dishes, but they are very challenging. Most consumers cannot 'handle' them, but prefabricated food can help them."

Taking soy sauce fried pork belly as an example, there are certain difficulties in selecting and cleaning pig kidneys, removing the odor, cutting flower knives, and then pickling and stir frying. In response to this, the supermarket has formulated a processing plan based on consumer demand. After the time-honored brand completes the slaughter of live pigs, it immediately processes them according to the standard, so that the finished products do not take more than 24 hours from slaughter to warehousing. Consumers can buy them and stir fry them for a few minutes at home. Looking at the product ingredient list again, it is clean and tidy: except for pig kidneys, there are only common seasonings and no unnecessary food additives.

The ingredients list of ready to cook pre prepared dishes is the same as that of the food purchased by consumers and processed by themselves, without additional addition

Is it necessary to say "no" to such pre made dishes?

Secondly, pre made dishes do not necessarily mean cheap or low-cost. The birth of pre made dishes is to improve production standardization and cooking efficiency, not to reduce costs. Some consumers think that pre made dishes are cheap because they restore the taste of "chef cooking" without the need for venue or labor costs, so the cost is lower than dining in a restaurant. Similarly, some catering companies use pre made dishes without reducing their pricing due to costs associated with venue, personnel, and research and development. So, pre made dishes are not low-priced dishes. Pre made dishes from some schools in other provinces and cities are considered low-priced, mainly due to the suppliers and dishes chosen by the schools.

Finally, the taste differences of pre made dishes are related to the raw materials, production processes, and other factors. Pre made dishes with proper craftsmanship have a guaranteed taste, and after on-site processing, there is also a "pot atmosphere". Many well-known catering companies have established central kitchens to develop and produce pre made dishes, which are then heated on site, and the food can also be recognized.

According to relevant sources, consumer concerns about pre made dishes can encourage companies to start with production processes and improve their products, but it also requires multi-channel promotion to eliminate misunderstandings. Of course, the healthy development of the industry cannot be separated from strict management.

Shanghai has taken the lead in establishing a relatively strict admission system for the production of prefabricated vegetables. Among them, the Shanghai Market Supervision Bureau took the lead in drafting the "Guidelines for the Examination of Production Licenses for Prefabricated Vegetables in the Yangtze River Delta", and based on this, formulated the "Shanghai Prefabricated Vegetables Production License Examination Plan", which clearly regulated the production conditions of prefabricated vegetables, as well as the storage and transportation of raw materials, semi-finished products, and finished products. It also emphasized the requirements for the use of food additives, and ensured the quality of prefabricated vegetables from the production source.

Reporter's note: Don't treat "food safety" as a "traffic password"

As a journalist who has been tracking the pre packaged food industry for a long time, I have visited the research and development of pre packaged food, supervised its production, and consumed pre packaged food more frequently. It can be responsibly said that there is no need to exclude pre packaged food products from legitimate enterprises. On the contrary, they save time and ensure taste, making them a good choice.

Undoubtedly, there are indeed low-quality and low-priced pre made dishes in the market, and it cannot be ruled out that the quality of pre made dishes introduced by a few schools is worrying. However, the root cause of the above problems is not the product form of pre made dishes, but the practices of production enterprises and schools. Not holding enterprises and schools accountable, but killing pre made dishes with a single stick, is tantamount to reversing black and white, sacrificing the essence for the end. It is not only a misreading of the modern food industry, but also a misinterpretation of food safety.

However, misunderstandings and rumors always accompany pre made dishes. One of the reasons is that some people use "food safety" as a "traffic password" and "Shangfang sword", spreading false statements under the banner of "maintaining food safety".

Food production and food safety have their own professionalism, and some online anchors and influencers have limited professional abilities, making misinterpretations and sacrificing pre made dishes under the "traffic password".

Even worse, some good people, in order to gain attention and traffic, do not hesitate to stigmatize pre made dishes to cater to online emotions. They seize the moral high ground under the banner of "paying attention to food safety" and "caring about children's growth", but attack science popularization and clarifying remarks as "washing the floor" and "endorsing", causing professionals to dare not speak up, and the voice of the truth is becoming weaker and weaker. This practice that goes against facts and misleads the public should be criticized and resisted.

Faced with the controversy over pre made dishes, I hope someone can make a genuine voice; I also hope to have more rational bystanders who are not swayed by online emotions or misled by misinterpretations, but instead take a comprehensive view of the problem and make the right choices.