Food safety is directly related to everyone's health and quality of life.
Now that the weather is slowly getting hotter, many people are too lazy to cook, so they will buy some convenience foods such as coleslaw, baked cakes, flatbread and cooked food on the way to work. Especially cooked food, because the deli uses a variety of spices and condiments, the food often tastes stronger, but this fragrant and delicious cooked food products are not necessarily healthy, especially the four common cooked foods, which are the hardest hit areas of additives, and everyone must keep their eyes open.
The first type: the head and hooves of the unusually white color go into the water
Offal foods such as head and hooves are troublesome to handle at home, requiring multiple steps such as peeling, hair, grease and cleaning. Some of the offal on the market, which looks unusually white, may have been depilated and cleaned with industrial-grade chemicals.
Industrial-grade chemicals may include highly corrosive substances such as sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide, which, if left in internal organs, may cause health problems such as poisoning and gastrointestinal irritation after consumption. So if you find that the food in the deli is too white, you should be careful.
When we buy these ingredients, we try to choose stores that have good hygiene conditions and reputation. Observe the appearance of cooked food, the normal color of cooked food should be natural, and cooked food that is too white may have been improperly handled. Fresh cooked food should have a normal aroma and should be avoided if it has an off-flavored or pungent smell. Cooked food is best eaten on the same day, and if it needs to be preserved, it should be kept in the refrigerator and consumed within the expiration date.
The second type: 20 yuan a roast duck in the market
The price of roast duck of about 20 yuan is far lower than the market average, so its cost control may be through the use of frozen white-striped duck, the low price may mean the selection of raw materials and the difference in production process, and there may also be problems such as unclear food sources and health conditions. For example, brine from unknown sources and non-standard processing processes are realized. Ducks that have been frozen for a long time may have reduced nutritional value, and taste and flavor will also be affected. If the processing environment is unhygienic, the ducks may be contaminated with bacteria or mold. Immersion in brine from unknown sources may contain chemicals that are harmful to humans. Excessively high temperatures may produce harmful substances such as acrylamide.
The third type: spicy seafood
Spicy seafood is loved by some people because of its unique taste and convenience to eat, but it does have some food safety hazards. If frozen seafood is not stored properly, it is easy for bacteria to grow and even spoil. Spoiled ingredients use a lot of spices to mask odors, which not only does not solve the underlying problem, but can also pose a health threat to consumers. At high temperatures, food is more likely to spoil and nitrite levels may also increase.
Fourth: cooked food with nitrate
Historically, nitrate has been used as a food additive to extend the shelf life of cooked foods and improve meat quality. However, due to its potential harm to human health, many countries and regions have explicitly banned the use of nitrate in food processing.
The toxicity of nitrate is mainly manifested in its ability to react with amines in food to form nitrosamines, which are known carcinogens. In addition, excessive intake of nitrite can also lead to poisoning, causing symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, and difficulty breathing.
In the market, some unscrupulous merchants may still use nitrite to process cooked food in pursuit of a better appearance and taste. When consumers buy cooked foods such as sauced beef and pig's trotters, they must pay attention to the observation that if the color of the cooked food is unusually bright red after cutting, which does not match the dark red or brown color of normal cooked food, nitrite may be added.
Nitrite destroys muscle fibers, making cooked meat unusually soft and coarse and non-stuffing. Cooked food with added nitrite may be too soft and lacking in normal chewiness.