From spicy hot, cross-bridge rice noodles, wild mushrooms, to snail noodles and hot pot, more and more "Internet celebrity" delicacies are out of the circle. Behind the traffic, how to ensure the food safety of residents and tourists? Cities have given the answer with practical actions. Recently, the reporter visited many places, starting from the food in various places, to explore the "food safety economy" of these cities.
01
A bowl of spicy hot
Tianshui will turn "flow" into sales
The chili peppers of Gangu and the peppercorns of Qin'an have shaped the soul of Tianshui Malatang. Yang Laijiang, a writer from the Tianshui City Federation of Literary and Art Circles Art Research Institute in Gansu Province, said that in Gansu Province, in fact, there are Malatang in various cities.
"It's like Lanzhou beef noodles, although they are available all over the country, but when they leave Lanzhou City, the taste changes. The same is true of Tianshui Malatang, only in Tianshui City, can you really appreciate its flavor. Yang Laijiang said that sesame oil and sesame seeds are indispensable condiments for a bowl of fragrant spicy tang. The history of the cultivation of these two ingredients can be traced back to Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions in the Han Dynasty.
In 119 B.C., Zhang Qian, the most famous diplomat in ancient Chinese history, brought back the seeds of flax, alfalfa, sesame and other agricultural products after the second mission to the Western Regions.
At the end of the 16th century, chili peppers were introduced to Tianshui along the Silk Road, and soon became widely cultivated in Tianshui. Because of the geographical advantage, Tianshui pepper has the characteristics of fragrant but not dry and spicy. Today, the water of Tianshui City, the pepper of Qin'an County, the chili pepper of Gangu County, the vegetables of Wushan County, and the traditional artichoke vermicelli have accumulated a mellow taste and injected vitality into the city of Tianshui City.
Recently, Yang Laijiang participated in the work of creating a national civilized city as a volunteer, walking in the streets and alleys, he felt that the "heat" of Tianshui City was still unabated. In the city's lively Malatang shop, the reporter saw that the employees had a unified "equipment" - white coats, hats, masks, and gloves, and the sense of detail was "full".
Recently, many "Internet celebrities" have promoted Tianshui Malatang through live broadcasts.
With the popularity of Malatang out of the circle, Tianshui City has opened the "Malatang Bus Line" from Tianshui South Station and Tianshui Airport to Qinzhou District and Maiji District of the city, providing "walk-and-go" travel services for tourists to experience Tianshui Malatang.
The arrival of this wave of traffic is not only an opportunity to expand the city's popularity, but also a test of service level and guarantee ability for Tianshui City. The Tianshui Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government held the "Tianshui Malatang" service guarantee meeting, established a service guarantee working group in a timely manner, issued a service guarantee work plan, and organized and carried out 13 special actions such as comprehensive improvement of the urban environment, food safety and sanitation improvement. In order to let "small resources" continue to release "big effects", it is essential to truly turn "flow" into "sales" and ensure food safety. To this end, the Tianshui Municipal Market Supervision and Administration Bureau has implemented a "four-level commitment spot check mechanism" for 10 "Internet celebrity" Malatang restaurants with high social concern and large customer flow, determined a special person to supervise and provide full service, and supervised and guided the operators to implement the main responsibility of food safety.
Li Jian, a third-level researcher of Tianshui Market Supervision and Administration Bureau, introduced that Tianshui City promotes the use of disinfected dining utensils or disposable dining utensils that meet the requirements, and carries out full-coverage supervision and inspection of disposable dining utensils production and business units. At the same time, we will urge Malatang business entities to strictly implement the requirements of food hygiene management, and advocate catering employees to wear work clothes and hats with unique logos, so as to achieve "one wear (white coat)", "three wears (hats, masks, gloves)" and "three haves (clearly marked price plates, food stall registration cards, and employee health certificates)".
At present, the Tianshui Municipal Market Supervision and Administration Bureau is organizing the drafting of the local standard of "Tianshui Malatang Business Specification" to standardize and promote the sustainable development of the industry; Accelerate the overall healthy development of the Tianshui Malatang industrial chain, and boost the accelerated development of related industrial chains such as Gangu pepper and Qin'an pepper. In addition, the Tianshui Municipal Market Supervision and Administration Bureau also fully implements the responsibility of product quality and safety supervision of Gangu pepper, and includes the quality sampling inspection of Gangu pepper in the supervision and sampling catalogue and assessment indicators at the same level, so as to control the quality and testing from the source, and continuously improve the quality and safety level of Gangu pepper products.
Yang Laijiang told reporters that when Tianshui Malatang first became popular, only a few stores attracted much attention, and now this trend has begun to radiate to more regions. "We will continue to strengthen the supervision of the 'Malatang' industry, continue to standardize business behavior, continue to make efforts in ensuring food safety, maintaining market order, improving service efficiency, selecting trees and cultivating brands, etc., encourage and guide the implementation of standardized and standardized production and operation, and further enhance brand influence and market competitiveness." Li Jian said.
02
Hundred-year-old rice noodles and wild mushroom temptation
Yunnan strictly prevents foodborne diseases
As night fell, colorful lanterns lit up on an "Internet celebrity" night market street in Kunming, Yunnan Province, and a queue formed in front of a shop in the middle of the street. The reporter stood at the end of the line and looked in, and a consumer by the window was picking up a small square dish and putting the dishes into the large soup bowl in front of him. When you enter the store, you will see the "rice noodle publicity board" hanging on the wall, in which the information posted on the rice noodle production license, rice noodle test report, health information publicity, product packaging label identification and other information is clear and intuitive.
With a history of more than 100 years, cross-bridge rice noodles have become the business card of Yunnan cuisine.
A large soup bowl, a blanched rice noodles, pork slices, chicken slices, ham slices, fish slices, squid slices, quail eggs and other meat dishes are placed aside, and vegetables, tofu skins, edible flowers and other vegetarian dishes are neatly stacked...... The rice noodle soup in front of the reporter was hot. Raw meat dishes, cooked meat dishes, vegetarian dishes and other ingredients are put in order, and then the rice noodles are gently stirred in a large soup bowl to complete a delicious and delicious meal.
However, this ritualistic cooking method may also have certain food safety risks. Since some ingredients are added to boiling soup and cooked at high temperature until cooked, consumers are prone to ingestion of food contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms if the ingredients are not strictly controlled or the processing process is not properly controlled during the production process of cross-bridge rice noodles.
For this reason, it is very important to take care of every level before the entrance. Zeng Jianhui, director of the Food Safety Standards and Monitoring and Evaluation Division of the Yunnan Provincial Health Commission, told reporters that in May 2022, the Yunnan Provincial Health Commission issued the "Yunnan Provincial Food Safety Local Standard for Catering Processing of Bridge Rice Noodles", which put forward clear requirements for the facilities, equipment, cooking utensils, types of ingredients, and ironing process of operating bridge rice noodles. The ingredients should not be placed at room temperature for more than two hours, the raw meat slices should be thin and uniform and the thickness should not exceed 2 mm, and the core temperature of all ingredients should be ≥ 70 degrees Celsius after mixing...... These details are listed one by one. The standard also points out that catering service units that operate cross-bridge rice noodles should make a schematic diagram of the ironing process, clearly indicate to consumers how to eat cross-bridge rice noodles in a conspicuous position in the dining area, and service personnel should guide customers to eat correctly if necessary.
In August 2023, the Yunnan Provincial Health Commission also issued the "Yunnan Provincial Food Safety Local Standard for Rice Noodles, Rolled Flour, and Bait Silk (Blocks)", which defines wet rice products and color products such as rice noodles, rolled flour, and bait silk, and stipulates indicators such as protein, lead, cadmium, and pathogenic bacteria.
Zeng Jianhui said that the two local food safety standards for rice noodles formulated and issued by Yunnan involve the product itself and the food production and operation process respectively, so that consumers can eat safely and eat at ease.
When it comes to Yunnan cuisine, many people can't resist the temptation from wild mushrooms.
The unique geography and climate make Yunnan one of the regions with the most abundant mushroom resources in the country and even in the world. During the rainy season, the damp smell of mud and forests begins to spread in Yunnan's large and small towns, and the delicious taste of local wild mushrooms attracts diners from other places.
"The wild mushrooms we often talk about are edible mushrooms that grow in the wild, which are different from those cultivated in artificiality." Liu Zhitao, director of the Institute of Nutrition and Food Hygiene of the Yunnan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters that wild mushrooms such as matsutake mushrooms, porcini mushrooms, and dry mushrooms are all commonly eaten in the local area.
According to statistics, there are more than 900 species of wild mushrooms in Yunnan, which are rich in species and numerous. However, while enjoying the food, we have to beware of poisoning incidents caused by accidentally ingesting poisonous wild mushrooms.
"Some edible wild mushrooms and toadstools are very similar in morphology, which is difficult to distinguish with the naked eye." Liu Zhitao introduced that the local government advocates the principle of "three passes, six noes" for wild mushroom consumers, business establishments and businesses. At the purchase level, it is recommended not to buy wild mushrooms that have not been eaten before or are uncertain, and not to buy wild mushrooms that are obviously rotten or spoiled; In the processing level, it is recommended that wild mushrooms should not be mixed together and heated, and should not be fried quickly, but must be cooked thoroughly; At the entrance gate, it is recommended not to eat wild mushrooms in excess, and not to drink alcohol when eating wild mushrooms.
Chef Yuan's shop is located next to a homestay in Kunming, and wild mushrooms are a must-order dish for diners from June to August every year. He told reporters: "Stir-frying wild mushrooms, time, ingredients and even oil are very particular, and it is necessary to ensure both deliciousness, nutrition and safety." The reporter learned that in some wild mushroom hot pot restaurants, merchants will use timers to ensure that chopsticks are sent after cooking, so as to prevent consumers from eating unripe wild mushrooms by mistake, and keep samples as required.
At present, it has not yet entered the season of centralized marketing of wild mushrooms, but various publicity has begun to be carried out in the local area. From early warning messages and special promotional videos, to multilingual promotional materials for ethnic minorities, to extensive publicity for households in rural and remote areas, the atmosphere has gradually been created. Liu Zhitao introduced that the province has built a solid foodborne disease monitoring network, set up 1,870 foodborne disease monitoring hospitals, and 31 active monitoring sentinel hospitals, achieving 100% coverage of townships (communities) and extending to villages.
"We have sunk the focus of prevention and control to the countryside and to the grassroots, and made clear provisions on the timely detection, timely reporting, timely first aid, and timely referral of wild fungus poisoning patients in village clinics and township health centers, and carried out family doctor contract services to simultaneously carry out wild fungus poisoning knowledge publicity, and build a solid grassroots network for the prevention and control of wild fungus poisoning in rural areas." Liu Zhitao said.
The local area has also established a group of wild mushroom identification experts composed of disease control experts, botanists, and medical experts. Liu Zhitao told reporters that through the timely and accurate identification of wild mushroom species that cause poisoning through online groups, strengthen the training of front-line medical staff to identify common toxic wild mushroom species.
03
From "millet flour" to "big industry"
Liuzhou snail noodles are tested by diners
From street food to national cuisine, the "fragrant and smelly" snail noodles have become a shining "city card" of Liuzhou City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
It is understood that Liuzhou snail noodles, which originated in the late 70s of the 20th century, contain profound skills. In 2008, after more than 30 years of development, the folk skill of "snail flour handmade process" was included in the list of intangible cultural heritage of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. In May 2021, Liuzhou's snail flour production technology was approved by the State Council and included in the fifth batch of national intangible cultural heritage representative projects.
Chef Li is an expert in making Liuzhou snail noodles, and he told reporters that from the selection of materials to production, each step of the process needs to be carefully operated to ensure the unique flavor of snail noodles. In addition, the choice of rice noodles, the pickling of sour bamboo shoots, and the combination of chili peppers will also have an important impact on the texture and taste of snail noodles."
In recent years, in order to meet the needs of the majority of snail noodle lovers, this special snack has also been constantly innovating. In 2014, pre-packaged Liuzhou snail flour began to appear, and this innovative product was able to go nationwide and achieve large-scale development due to its long shelf life. Nowadays, diners all over the country who want to eat snail noodles do not have to go to the powder stalls and powder shops in Liuzhou.
However, the emergence of new products has also made Guangxi face a new test: how to ensure that the flavor and quality of pre-packaged Liuzhou snail noodles can withstand the test of market and time, so that Liuzhou snail noodles can develop from "Internet celebrity" to "evergreen"?
Zhang Yimin, the second-level chief staff member of the Food Safety Standards and Monitoring and Evaluation Department of the Health Commission of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, introduced that in the early stage of the development of Liuzhou snail flour industry, due to the unique flavor and rich ingredients of Liuzhou snail flour products, there is no more specific national food safety standard for this type of product in China.
Combined with the needs of the Liuzhou Municipal Government to promote the development of the snail flour industry, the Health Commission of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region established the project in 2015 and issued and implemented the "Guangxi Food Safety Local Standard Liuzhou Snail Flour" in 2016. The implementation of this standard unifies the definition of "Liuzhou snail flour", standardizes the production of various production enterprises of Liuzhou snail flour, and provides strong support for promoting Liuzhou snail flour from "millet flour" to a "big industry" with local characteristics.
With the gradual development of Liuzhou's snail flour industry, the relevant standards have also been constantly advancing with the times, expanding and improving. "In the previous local standards, only the quality and safety of boiled Liuzhou snail flour were stipulated, but we found through in-depth discussions and research among Liuzhou snail flour production enterprises and relevant management departments that consumers have an increasing demand for convenient and fast brewed Liuzhou snail flour, and this part of the product has not yet been covered by local standards." Zhang Yimin said.
To this end, the Health Commission of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region launched the revision of the local food safety standard "Liuzhou Snail Powder", and added brewed Liuzhou snail powder to the 2021 edition of the local food safety standard "Liuzhou Snail Powder".
In order to promote the development of the industry, the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has issued policies and measures such as the "Implementation Plan for Accelerating the High-quality Development of Liuzhou Snail Flour and Guangxi Advantageous Rice Flour Industry". At present, under the guidance and supervision of multiple departments, the national quality sampling pass rate of prepackaged Liuzhou snail noodles has remained above 97.5%, which greatly ensures the quality safety and unique quality of Liuzhou snail noodles. Zhang Yimin said that in the next step, Guangxi will continue to carry out tracking and evaluation of local standards, and at the same time encourage iterative upgrading of new formats such as snail duck foot pot and snail noodle hot pot, develop healthy versions of snail noodles such as low salt, low sugar and high fiber, and promote the transformation of high-quality industries to nutrition and health, so that snail noodles, a local characteristic industry, will be revitalized.
04
Hot pot is everywhere in the mountain city
Chongqing uses smart supervision
The air in Chongqing is all "hot pot smell". Every day from 10 a.m. to the early hours of the next morning, hot pot restaurants of all sizes are always lively.
Sister Pei's old hot pot is opened in the most lively business district, making the traditional taste of old Chongqing.
"The authentic Chongqing old hot pot pays more attention to the materials used in the base and the frying process. The mellow butter, with chili pepper and Sichuan pepper, is repeatedly fried, naturally fermented and simmered to ensure that the bottom of the pot is sweet and mellow. The relevant person in charge of Sister Pei's old hot pot said that the freshness of the ingredients is also very important, and the hairy tripe in the store is freshly delivered from the slaughterhouse.
Over the years, the store has kept the old craftsmanship and introduced a lot of "new gadgets". The kitchen has been fully upgraded from five aspects: storage, cleaning, standard, cultivation and finishing, and is completely open and can be visited by peers and consumers; A camera is installed on the stove, and the "Chongqing Sunshine Food" application broadcasts the kitchen dynamics, food preparation and processing in real time; The person in charge uses the "catering safety online" through his mobile phone to record the daily morning inspection, raw material management and other ledgers at any time, and upload photos or videos for key matters to retain the on-site situation...... In Chongqing's restaurants, smart ways to monitor food safety are nothing new.
In recent years, Chongqing has developed a smart catering supervision system and promoted "Internet + Bright Kitchen and Bright Stove" to further consolidate the food safety defense line. "In terms of on-site supervision, operators carry out self-management through relevant functions of the system, and supervisors realize paperless inspection throughout the whole process through the 'smart supervision' module, and complete the on-site 'punch-in' by taking photos and videos and uploading 'five determinations' information, so as to implement the responsibilities of both parties." Diao Lin, deputy director of the catering department of the Chongqing Municipal Administration for Market Regulation, said.
Various loopholes in remote supervision have also been filled one by one. "Some store cameras are occasionally offline, some camera angles are adjusted to be unfavorable for supervision, and there may be a risk of pests such as rodent infestation when employees are resting." Diao Lin introduced that on the basis of the unified access to the "Sunshine Catering" system in all restaurants, artificial intelligence recognition technology was introduced, which automatically analyzed the camera footage 24 hours a day, and captured 11 common safety hazards such as harmful organisms, and urged operators to rectify within a limited time.
Chongqing hot pot "cooks the world in one pot", the churning heat is all-encompassing, and for diners, it is the ultimate enjoyment of taste buds; For food safety assurance, it is a comprehensive "big test" from standard formulation to monitoring. Liao Honglai, a fourth-level researcher of the Food Department of the Chongqing Municipal Health Commission, said that in recent years, Chongqing has comprehensively cleaned up and integrated 34 local food safety standards, and the city's current local standards, including hot pot bases, have reached 17. At present, local food safety standards such as edible livestock and poultry blood products (Xuewang) are being revised, and the local food safety standard system is constantly improving.
In Chongqing's Nan'an District, more digital technologies are being used to protect people's food safety rights. "There are many types of hot pot ingredients and the production process is special, and it is especially difficult to monitor once a foodborne illness occurs." Yuan Lingyan, head of the occupational health and food hygiene section of the Nan'an District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that in 2020, the district CDC launched an emergency operation management system, opening up information channels between 23 municipal sentinel hospitals and the CDC.
"If more than two people eat bad stomachs in the store, the medical institution can report it directly to the CDC through the system after receiving the treatment. A number of investigators will immediately go to the scene to conduct epidemiological investigation and sampling of patients, conduct food hygiene investigation and sampling of kitchens, ingredients, etc., and upload relevant information to the system at the same time. The data that used to be manually collated and summarized is now automatically sorted and analyzed by the system, and the response to foodborne diseases is faster. Yuan Lingyan said.
"At present, Chongqing is promoting the joint declaration of national standards for local standards for hot pot base ingredients in Sichuan and Chongqing, and exploring mutual recognition of existing standards between the two places." Liao Honglai said that food safety involves many departments, and the health department will continue to strengthen the linkage with other departments, strengthen the supervision and management of the whole chain from farmland to table, so that local residents and tourists can eat happily and rest assured.
Text: Health News reporter Duan Menglan, Sun Ren, Liu Zhiyue, Zhang Kexin, correspondent Zhang Xiaoxia
Pictured: Wei Xiaojun
Editor: Guan Zhongyao
Proofreading: Ma Yang
Review: Qin Mingrui, Xu Bingnan
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