On February 13, 2023, in the chapter on promoting the high-quality development of rural industries, Document No. 1 for the first time included "cultivating and developing the prefabricated vegetable industry" as a new industry and new business format. Now that a year has passed, in the context of the continued popularity of the prefabricated vegetable market, what kind of scene does our local prefabricated vegetable market in Lu'an present? In order to gain an in-depth understanding of this situation, the reporter recently visited a number of prefabricated food production enterprises, sales merchants and market authorities. Through interviews, it was found that prefabricated dishes are gradually "flying into ordinary people's homes".
Opinions are divided, and the public has mixed reviews
In the Xishang Agricultural Products Trading Center, Jin Ruixiang Catering and Food Business Department displays a dazzling array of prefabricated dishes. Xiao Chen, a salesperson, told reporters that their annual sales in 2023 will be close to 50 million. Pre-made dishes are mainly sold in factory canteens, large hotel wedding banquets and some restaurants, and the surrounding residents are also loyal customers. Many consumers believe that as long as there is strong supervision, pre-made dishes are safe and reliable, and they can be eaten with confidence. Ms Tsang, a citizen, said, "Pre-made dishes have injected new vitality into the catering industry, improving the speed of serving and the consumption experience. Ms. Xu, who lives in Uptown International in the city, chose pre-made dishes because of her poor cooking skills, she said: "Since trying pre-made dishes, the dishes at home have become more abundant, and the number of take-out orders has also decreased significantly. ”
However, when the pre-made dishes were first launched, the market strongly resisted them, and even called them "pig and dog food". On September 14, 2022, in a live broadcast room, the founder of Zhigang Think Tank's strong dislike of prefabricated dishes caused heated discussions among netizens. Some people support pre-made dishes, arguing that they are cleaner and more convenient than takeaways; There are also concerns about its taste and additives.
Although the sales of pre-made dishes continue to heat up, there are still many people who have reservations about it. Mr. Wang, a citizen, said: "Prefabricated dishes lack fresh taste and pot atmosphere. Ms Chan reflected, "There may be a risk of bacterial growth during the transportation of the pre-made dishes purchased. "Ms. Tu has had problems with damaged packaging and spilled spices.
The production, transportation and sales of raw materials have a long way to go
In interviews, most of the citizens said that in order to make pre-made dishes more popular, the first priority is to ensure food safety. This means that companies need to be strict in many aspects, including the selection of reliable raw materials, the rational use of additives, the improvement of hygiene management in the production process, and the upgrading of storage, preservation and transportation technologies. Enterprises bear great responsibilities in these links, and must strictly control every detail to ensure the safety and quality of products.
In addition, merchants also need to set a reasonable selling price so that consumers are willing to pay for the cost-effectiveness of pre-made dishes. If restaurants and takeaway outlets use pre-made dishes, they should inform consumers and give them the opportunity to choose whether or not to consume. Since there is a difference in the cost of pre-made and freshly prepared dishes, restaurants can set prices separately to give consumers more choice. Operators should provide truthful information on pre-made dishes and avoid misleading consumers through false or exaggerated publicity.
Anhui Chenqian Food, located in Keppel Logistics Park, Development Zone, is such a prefabricated food production enterprise. Chen Fayong, the person in charge of the company, gave reporters a detailed introduction to their production links and how to ensure food safety. He stressed that there are strict standards and regulatory measures for raw material procurement, quality inspection, and production processes. The market supervision and management department also conducts random inspections frequently to ensure product quality and safety.
Tianrun Modern Agricultural Science and Technology Co., Ltd. in Zhongguodian Village, Dongqiao Town, Jin'an District, is an enterprise mainly engaged in ecological breeding and prefabricated vegetable processing. Their goose nugget hot pot, fresh soft-shelled turtle hot pot, seasoned shrimp and other prefabricated food products are deeply loved by consumers, with annual sales of more than 1,000 tons. Wang Jialing, chairman of the board, said that in order to dispel consumers' doubts about the safety of prefabricated dishes, they use ecological farming and instantaneous freezing technology to ensure the freshness and safety of ingredients. It can be seen from the packaging that their finished pre-made dishes do not add any food additives, so that the general public can buy and eat with confidence.
Strengthen testing and supervision, market supervision and safety
How to make the consumption of prefabricated food more transparent and healthier, and promote the healthy and orderly development of the prefabricated food industry, is an important task facing the current regulatory authorities. In order to ensure food safety for consumers, regulatory authorities need to strengthen supervision and random inspections.
Xu Yingchun, a member of the party group of the Jin'an District Market Supervision Administration and full-time deputy director of the Jin'an District Food Safety Office, said in an interview with reporters that Jin'an District has increased its efforts in the supervision and management of the prefabricated vegetable market. In the production process, they ensure the compliance of production management, quality control, quarantine testing and appliance disinfection by increasing sampling inspections.
In the circulation link, focus on spot checking the food**, storage conditions, food packaging and shelf life of ingredients to ensure the freshness and safety of food. In addition, Xu Yingchun also emphasized that prefabricated vegetable production enterprises in the jurisdiction need to provide testing and inspection reports for each batch of products, and conduct random inspections on refrigerated cabinets, transport vehicles and factory warehouses in the cold chain transportation link to ensure the health and safety of the storage and transportation of prefabricated dishes.
Mr. Li, a citizen, also expressed his concern about the prefabricated food industry. He believes that the development of prefabricated dishes is a realistic reflection of the upgrading of residents' consumption and the strengthening of the food processing industry, and it is also a powerful means to achieve rural revitalization. In order to promote the healthy development of the prefabricated food industry, he suggested that relevant national standards and high-quality development plans for prefabricated dishes should be introduced as soon as possible, precise prefabricated food support policies should be formulated, and market players in mature regions should be cultivated. At the same time, by cultivating a number of prefabricated food standardization demonstration enterprises covering production, cold chain, warehousing, circulation, marketing, import and export, and equipment production, we can play a leading role in "chain master" enterprises, guide prefabricated food small and medium-sized enterprises to become "specialized, special and new" enterprises, and then promote the development of upstream and downstream industries. By guiding the development of the prefabricated vegetable industry, it can not only meet the needs of urban fast-paced life, but also increase the added value of agricultural products, and help the high-quality development of agriculture and the revitalization of rural industries.
Afterword
Recently, the reporter learned from the market supervision department that after a year of in-depth research and multiple opinions in the industry, the national standard for prefabricated dishes has been submitted at the end of 2023 and has been submitted to the Office of the Food Safety Committee for consideration. It is optimistically estimated that the results of the review will be announced within six months at the earliest. One of the highlights of the country's target is the explicit ban on the use of preservatives and the mandatory use of cold chain transport. With the introduction of this national standard, it is expected to justify the name of prefabricated dishes, solve the dilemma they face, and provide consumers with safer and healthier food choices.