Recently, the news that Sam's chilled salmon has changed its description has attracted attention: it is no longer labeled "ready to eat out of the bag", but "heated and cooked" is recommended. Does this mean that salmon cannot be eaten again?
In this regard, Sam's customer service responded that everyone has a different physique, and it is not recommended to eat raw food to avoid gastrointestinal discomfort. However, for consumers who are concerned about food safety, such a response does not seem to quench their thirst: can salmon be eaten raw? Is it "can be eaten raw by marine fish, but not raw by freshwater fish"?
Whether it can be eaten raw or not pays attention to two indicators
"Whether aquatic products can be eaten raw, first of all, we must meet the requirements of the GB101316 "National Food Safety Standards for Animal Aquatic Products" on "ready-to-eat animal aquatic products", and the products should be labeled, which should focus on two types of indicators: first, whether it meets the quality requirements of ready-to-eat raw aquatic products; Guo Quanyou, a researcher at the East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences and director of the Aquatic Product Quality Safety and Processing Research Office, said.
The impact of these indicators often involves the whole process of aquaculture sales, including planting, breeding, bait, processing and other key points. Among them, "species" refers to the seed source, "raising" refers to the breeding environment, "bait" refers to bait, and "plus" refers to processing. Many people think that "marine fish can be eaten raw, but freshwater fish cannot be eaten raw", the main reason is that they feel that the aquatic products farmed or fished in the sea are relatively clean and less parasitic. However, as far as freshwater aquaculture is concerned, if the environment and bait can be strictly controlled, the parasites can also be controlled, and the goal of "raw food" can be achieved.
It should be noted that "processing" involves many and complex links, including transportation and storage in addition to the processing itself. Even aquatic products that are cultivated in clean waters and do not contain parasites may have excessive safety indicators if they are contaminated during processing, storage and transportation. At this time, aquatic products that could have been eaten raw will no longer be suitable for "raw food".
Returning to salmon, due to the different standards of farming and processing, there are different salmon products in the market itself, such as "raw food" and "need to be heated and cooked", and consumers are advised to eat them in the way indicated by the merchants. For consumers who like to eat salmon sashimi, they can buy products that meet the standards marked as "can be eaten raw". However, the public should be aware that there are always risks associated with "raw food" and should be chosen according to individual circumstances.
Wasabi, vinegar, and shochu cannot be sterilized
What are the risks of "raw food"? Mainly because the product contains parasites or microorganisms.
It is said that wasabi, vinegar, and shochu kill parasites and microorganisms on these seafood products when eating "sashimi" or "sashimi". Therefore, it is safe to eat with seasonings and high alcohol. This is also a consumer misunderstanding.
Seasonings, high alcohol and other substances are not enough to kill parasitic fish microorganisms, and such harmful substances are most afraid of high temperatures, which is why the regulatory authorities remind the public to "cook thoroughly".
In fact, for raw aquatic products, the State Administration for Market Regulation has issued a consumption reminder, suggesting that you pay attention to the freshness and storage conditions of the products.
Specifically, consumers should buy fresh raw animal-based aquatic products as much as possible. By observing whether the color of the product is normal, the product can be preliminarily judged whether it is fresh and safe; by pressing the product to see whether it is elastic, further judge whether the product is fresh; you can also ask the merchant the origin of the product, and the aquatic products produced in the breeding waters with good environment are more suitable for raw food.
In terms of storage temperature, not only should the product be properly refrigerated at the time of purchase, but it should also be consumed in time after purchase. If it cannot be consumed immediately, it should be stored in the refrigerator, and if it is found to have an undesirable smell after storage, it should not be eaten again.
In addition, in view of the fact that raw animal-based aquatic products are usually consumed under low temperature conditions, pregnant women, infants, young children, the elderly, people with poor stomach and weak immunity should avoid or be cautious to avoid gastrointestinal discomfort.
These ingredients are also not recommended to be eaten raw
It is worth mentioning that "raw food" is not only risky with aquatic products, but also involves a variety of common ingredients, such as eggs and aquatic plants. Some products seem to be "sterile", but because they may be secondary contamination during transportation, storage and processing, they will also cause physical discomfort and even diseases.
Among them, "raw eggs" are the most popular products in recent years. The China Association for Science and Technology pointed out that in terms of production links, some regular brands of "raw eggs" have strict quality control in the production process, and indeed achieve "sterile raw food". However, they can still be contaminated at the point of sale. Even if they are not contaminated, raw eggs have a "ready to eat date" – usually 10 to 15 days and are kept refrigerated below 10°C. Beyond this period or improper storage, the risk of contamination is greatly increased, and the quality of raw food is lost, and reconsumption is not recommended. Of course, eggs that have passed the "raw food expiration date" are not inedible, they just have to be cooked.
In addition, it is not recommended to eat aquatic plants raw. Some consumers have the habit of eating aquatic plants such as water celery, water chestnut, water chestnut, water chestnut, and lotus root. As everyone knows, the safety of this kind of plant is closely related to the growth environment, it is easy to be polluted by water, there are parasites or parasite eggs, once ingested, the consequences are serious. Recently, the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center treated a patient who was infected with fascioliasis hepatica from eating raw water celery, and finally applied to the World Health Organization (WHO) for a specific drug to treat it.
However, parasites are basically afraid of high temperatures, and as long as they are fried, cooked, steamed, etc., the risk of parasite infection can be greatly reduced.
Source: "Shanghai Internet Refutation of Rumors" WeChat public account