Loading...
"Five yuan, a big bag of egg fried rice, anyone really dares to eat this thing?" A complaint from the circle of friends, accompanied by bright pictures, successfully attracted my attention. Click in and take a look, the comment area has already exploded, and all kinds of "technology and ruthless" stalks are flying all over the sky.
To be honest, as a migrant worker who tosses and turns on food delivery apps every day, trying to find a trace of "originality" from a bunch of "technology", I am no stranger to prepared food. From sauerkraut fish and spicy tang to kung pao chicken, those dishes that seem to be full of color and flavor may be just bags of pre-processed ingredients.
But I don't know why, when I see the words "pre-made egg fried rice", I still can't help but feel a tightness in my heart. This thing, from snacks to big national delicacies! If even egg fried rice can be premade, then what can't be premade?
With a little curiosity and a little apprehension, I opened a treasure and typed in "pre-made egg fried rice". I was blown away by the search results.
Five yuan for one big bag, ten yuan for two big bags, all kinds of brands, all kinds of flavors, dazzling. The merchant has played various attractive words such as "convenient and fast", "delicious and healthy", and "restore the taste of freshly fried".
Clicking on the comment area made me cry and laugh even more. Some people say that this thing is better than the fried one; Some people say that this is simply a lazy man's gospel; Some people also said that after eating it a few times, they didn't have any problems eating......
Looking at these comments, I suddenly felt a little lost. Am I being too out? Could it be that prepared foods have really evolved to the point where they can be faked?
In order to understand the doubts in my happiness, I decided to experience it for myself. Ordering, receiving, unpacking, heating, the whole process takes less than five minutes. A plate of steaming egg fried rice appeared in front of me.
To be honest, judging from the appearance alone, this plate of egg fried rice really looks like that. The golden rice, accompanied by green green onions, and a dotted diced ham, will whet your appetite.
I picked up the spoon, scooped up the rice, and put it in my mouth.
How so? The taste does have a bit of egg fried rice, but it always feels like something is missing. The rice is a little soft, and the eggs are as if they have been starched, and the texture is smooth and not fluffy at all. Moreover, the whole plate of rice is filled with a faint greasy taste, which makes people feel a little tired after eating a few bites.
I endured the discomfort and took a few bites, but I couldn't eat anymore. This thing, compared to freshly scrambled egg fried rice, is literally heaven and underground.
What makes me even more unsettling is, what exactly is added to this meal? Are the "additive-free" and "healthy nutrition" claimed by those merchants really credible?
I looked through the bags, trying to find some clues. On the ingredient list, in addition to the common rice, eggs, ham, and chopped green onions, there is a long list of chemical names that I don't understand. What preservatives, flavor enhancers, flavors, make my scalp tingle.
At that moment, I suddenly understood that prepared food is like a double-edged sword. While it brings us convenience, it also hides many risks that we can't see.
We pursue a convenient and fast life, but we also need healthy and safe food. Can prepared foods really give us everything we want?
The Temptation of Deliciousness: The Rise of Prepared Foods
Speaking of which, the emergence of prepared foods is nothing new. As early as a few decades ago, ready-made foods such as quick-frozen dumplings and instant noodles have entered thousands of households.
However, in recent years, with the acceleration of people's life rhythm and the advancement of cold chain logistics and other technologies, the prepared food industry has ushered in explosive growth. From the initial quick-frozen food, to the current prefabricated dishes, prefabricated rice, and even prefabricated hot pots, the types of prepared foods are becoming more and more abundant, and the application scenarios are becoming more and more extensive.
Open the takeaway software, all kinds of "signature dishes" and "popular dishes" may be pre-made dishes behind the scene. Walking into the supermarket, all kinds of pre-made dishes with exquisite packaging and various flavors also occupy more and more shelf space.
The popularity of prepared food is inseparable from its own advantages.
First of all, it is naturally convenient and fast. For many office workers, they are exhausted after work every day, and they simply don't have the time and energy to go grocery shopping and cooking. Prepared food, on the other hand, only needs to be simply heated or cooked, and it can be easily solved in one meal, which greatly saves time and energy.
Secondly, the price is relatively low. Manufacturers of prepared foods can reduce costs through large-scale procurement and production, so as to provide consumers with more cost-effective products.
What's more, as technology advances, so does the taste and quality of prepared foods. Some well-known F&B brands have also launched their own pre-made food products in an attempt to get a piece of the pie in this emerging market.
However, behind the rapid development of prepared foods, there are also many problems and controversies hidden.
The Torture of Safety: The Hidden Concerns of Prepared Foods
The five-yuan package of pre-made egg fried rice is just a microcosm of the chaos in the prepared food industry. Driven by profits, some businesses do not hesitate to sacrifice food safety and quality in order to reduce costs.
Poor quality ingredients, excessive use of additives, dirty and messy production environment...... These problems are not uncommon in the prepared food industry.
In 2022, a well-known prefabricated food brand was exposed to problems such as the dirty and messy environment in the production workshop, the operators not wearing masks and gloves, and even finding insects in the products, which aroused widespread concern in the society.
In fact, the safety of prepared food has always been the focus of consumers' attention. Since prepared foods need to be stored and transported for a long time, they are more likely to breed bacteria, resulting in food spoilage.
In order to extend the shelf life, some merchants will overuse additives such as preservatives. And these additives, if ingested for a long time, may cause harm to human health.
In addition, the nutritional problems of prepared foods have also been criticized. Since prepared foods need to be sterilized at high temperatures, the nutrients in the ingredients may be lost.
Moreover, in order to improve the taste, some businesses will add a large amount of oil, salt, sugar and other seasonings to the prepared food, resulting in an unreasonable nutritional structure of the prepared food, which is not conducive to health.
Long-term consumption of prepared foods may lead to health problems such as malnutrition, obesity, chronic diseases, etc.
Prepared food, like a coin, has two sides. On the one hand, it is delicious and convenient, and on the other hand, there are concerns about safety and health.
How to balance the relationship between the two is an urgent problem for the prepared food industry to solve.
The Regulatory Dilemma: How to Maintain the Bottom Line of Food Safety
"The safety of prepared food, in the final analysis, is a regulatory issue." An industry insider told me, "Many small workshops have a dirty and messy production environment, and the ingredients used are not fresh, but no one cares about them." ”
His words made me feel a chill in my heart. Food safety is about everyone's health, how can no one take care of it?
In fact, in recent years, the state has been strengthening the regulation of the prepared food industry. In 2022, the State Administration for Market Regulation and other nine departments jointly issued the "Opinions on Establishing and Improving the Working Mechanism of Food Safety "Guarding the Bottom Line, Checking Hidden Dangers, and Ensuring Safety", which clearly proposes to strengthen the supervision of food safety in new formats and models such as prefabricated dishes.
Relevant policies have also been introduced to regulate the production, sales and use of prepared food.
However, the rapid development of the prepared food industry has lagged behind in the construction of the regulatory system.
"Many regulatory authorities do not understand the production process, process, and standards of prepared food, let alone supervise them." A person in charge of a company engaged in the production of prefabricated vegetables said frankly, "Now many places are in a 'free-range' state, as long as nothing happens, no one cares about you." ”
The lack of supervision has given unscrupulous businesses an opportunity to take advantage of. In pursuit of profits, some businesses ignore food safety regulations, use low-quality ingredients, additives, and even falsify production dates and expiration dates.
Consumers, on the other hand, are often the ultimate victims.
"I ordered a takeaway pre-made dish before, and I had diarrhea after eating it." A friend told me, "Later, I learned that the pre-made dishes in that store were all purchased from some small workshops, and there was no guarantee at all." ”
The safety of prepared food has become a social issue that cannot be ignored. How to strengthen supervision and keep the bottom line of food safety is a difficult problem for the government and enterprises.
The awakening of consumers: use action to force the industry to progress
"Nowadays, many young people like to order takeout and eat pre-made dishes, and they don't care about food safety at all." An elder sighed, "If this continues, the food safety problem will only become more and more serious in the future." ”
His words, although somewhat pessimistic, are not unreasonable.
Young consumers make up a large proportion of the consumer market for prepared foods. They pursue convenience and speed, and are more sensitive to price, but their awareness of food safety is relatively weak.
Some young people, even with the mentality of "just eat the dead", turn a blind eye to the risks of prepared foods.
However, food safety is not child's play. Every consumer should be responsible for their own health and say no to food safety issues!
"When I order takeout now, I will first look at the qualifications of the merchants, and try to choose those that have physical stores or have a good reputation." A friend told me, "It's a little more troublesome, but at least it's a little more reassuring." ”
In addition to choosing our merchants carefully, we can also contribute to the healthy development of the prepared food industry by:
Actively report: If you find food safety problems, you should report them to the relevant departments in time to protect your legitimate rights and interests. * Rational consumption: Don't blindly pursue low prices, but choose prepared foods produced by regular manufacturers with guaranteed quality. *Learn relevant knowledge: understand the production process, nutritional content, safety risks, etc. of prepared food, and improve your own food safety awareness.
The power of consumers is enormous. Only when consumers are concerned about food safety issues and take practical actions to support those who pay attention to quality can the prepared food industry truly embark on the road of healthy development.
Future direction: technology empowerment to reshape the industry ecology
Prepared foods, not beasts. Enabled by technology, the prepared food industry is ushering in a new revolution.
Some companies have begun to try to use blockchain, Internet of Things and other technologies to establish a food safety traceability system, so that consumers can clearly understand the source of raw materials, production process, logistics and transportation of the prepared food they buy, so as to improve the transparency and traceability of food safety.
Some companies have begun to focus on product development and innovation, and launched more healthy, nutritious and delicious prepared foods to meet the growing needs of consumers.
For example, some companies have launched low-salt, low-fat, low-sugar pre-made dishes, and some companies have developed special dietary prepared foods for pregnant women, children, and the elderly.
Some companies have begun to explore a new model of "central kitchen + retail terminal", combining prepared food with offline stores and online platforms to provide consumers with more convenient and efficient services.
In the future, with the progress of science and technology and the change of consumption concepts, the prepared food industry will usher in a broader space for development.
But we must also be soberly aware that prepared food can never replace freshly prepared food.
Food is not only used to fill the stomach, but also carries emotions and temperature.
A bowl of hot egg fried rice may contain a mother's love; A sumptuous Chinese New Year's Eve dinner may unite the family reunion.
These are things that prepared foods can never give.
Prepared foods can be a choice in our lives, but they can't be the whole of our lives.
While enjoying the convenience brought by prepared food, we should also cherish the food that we make by ourselves and feel the beauty of the food with our hearts.
This may be the future of prepared food.
[Disclaimer] The process described in the article and the pictures are all from the Internet, and this article aims to advocate positive social energy without vulgarity and other bad guidance. If it involves copyright or character infringement issues, please contact us in time, and we will delete the content as soon as possible! If there is any doubt about the incident, it will be deleted or changed immediately after contact