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Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, November 26 Question: Can imported food from the cold chain be safely consumed? ——Five questions about cold chain food safety
Xinhua News Agency reporters Peng Yunjia, Mu Tiecheng, Li Yating
Recently, the positive detection rate of imported food from the cold chain has increased significantly. “The products involved range from shellfish to meat products from livestock and poultry, and the scope of imported materials contaminated by the virus extends from cold chain foods to containers,” said Mi Feng, spokesperson for the National Health Commission. The spread of the epidemic showed “from objects to people”. Functions that coexist with “person to person”.
Imported food from the cold chain has repeatedly become a “minefield”. Can you eat imported food from the cold chain? How to completely disinfect? In the face of burning concerns related to the “cold chain”, experts from various departments answered questions from the public.
One question: Why is imported food from the cold chain so often turned into “minefields”?
On November 7, the outer packaging samples of German pig elbows imported from Tianjin and frozen hair tail samples imported from India tested positive for the novel coronavirus nucleic acid; on day 11, the nucleic acid test results of 1 halibut outer packaging smear sample from Jinghai District, Tianjin was positive; On the 12th, a wholesale frozen food market in Tianjin’s Jinnan district found that a mixed nucleic acid test sample of the novel coronavirus was positive … Since June this year, the source of local epidemics in many parts of the country has targeted imported food from the cold chain, salmon, frozen Ecuador Shrimp and other products have been repeatedly detected as carriers of the new coronavirus.
Li Ning, deputy director of the National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, believes that foreign countries are in an outbreak period of the new corona epidemic, and it is highly likely that food and outer packaging of the cold chain become carriers of the new corona virus during cross-border transport.
Recently, several departments and localities have increased the detection and sampling of imported food from the cold chain and its external packaging for the nucleic acid of the new coronavirus As the frequency, frequency and coverage of detection increases, the probability of finding a positive.
“This also shows that the measures taken by our country to strengthen physical defense are effective.” Li Ning said that up to now, the national sampling and monitoring positive rate is 0.48 per 10,000, and it is mainly concentrated on food packaging.
Second question: Can you continue to consume imported food from the cold chain?
“Can you eat imported fresh food?” Faced with frequent positive tests of imported food from the cold chain, this issue has become the focus of many people’s attention.
“Currently, no infections caused by direct consumption of these cold chain foods have been found.” Zhang Liubo, chief disinfection expert at the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention and director of the Center for Infection Control and Disinfection of the Environmental Institute, said the risk of infection is mainly in the handling and operation links, and not There are discovered that the food itself caused the infection.
Zhang Liubo introduced that the safe and effective disinfection of the outer packaging surface of imported cold chain food can achieve the inactivation of the novel coronary pneumonia virus and then come into contact with the surface after disinfection. The risk of infection is very low. However, it is possible that viral nucleic acid still exists. If the nucleic acid test is still positive after disinfection, the public should not be overly nervous.
Li Ning added that the cooking process should also be kept clean, use safe water and raw materials, separate raw from cooked, cook well, and maintain a safe food temperature.
Three questions: How to completely disinfect imported food from the cold chain?
The Comprehensive Team of the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council recently issued the “Work Plan for the preventive and complete disinfection of imported food from the cold chain”, which requires a comprehensive preventive disinfection treatment before the food imported from the cold chain come into contact with people in China for the first time.
Consequently, the General Administration of Customs has made specific arrangements for the preventive disinfection of imported food from the cold chain at the port link, including clarification of work requirements, operating procedures, technical specifications for disinfection and support supervision measures for preventive disinfection at the port link. Some ports stipulate that 500 mg / L of chlorine dioxide sanitizer or 0.2% to 0.4% peracetic acid or 3% hydrogen peroxide must be used to sanitize the outer packaging of chain foods. cold. Spray or clean all six sides of the outer packaging for 30 minutes. Rinse with clean water.
According to Bi Kexin, director of the Directorate of Food Safety for Import and Export of the General Administration of Customs, since the launch of the plan, starting at 24:00 hours on the 24th, the preventive disinfection of food containers imported from Cold chain in the port has accumulated more than 1.6 million pieces and weighs more than 30,000 tons. The outer packaging, containers and air pallets of imported food from the cold chain.
Compared with conventional disinfection, low-temperature disinfection of imported food from the cold chain is more difficult. Zhang Liubo said that he is currently stepping up research on related technologies and methods.
Fourth question: What should the public do after exposure to imported food from the cold chain?
Disinfect first, wash hands later, avoid splashing, check surroundings, wash at high temperature and treat quickly.
Zhang Liubo recalled that when the public comes into contact with imported food from the cold chain, they must first disinfect the surface of the outer packaging, and then clean and disinfect their hands. When handling the outer packaging, avoid contamination of the surrounding environment. At the same time, clean and disinfect the surrounding environment, clean kitchen utensils in contact with food in time, and pack the used residue separately for timely disposal.
“When buying fresh ingredients, avoid touching your mouth, eyes and nose with dirty hands.” Li Ning said that from the epidemiological traceability analysis, infected people are at high risk of repeated exposure to imported cold chain food packaging in specific settings. The crowd, like porters, etc.
Question 5: How to monitor the market entry of imported food from the cold chain?
Are many people concerned that the virus will spread through the imported food chain from the cold chain to the market? Chen Di, the market inspection commissioner of the Food Operations Department of the State Administration of Market Regulation, said that regulatory authorities will focus on five measures: first, conduct a market risk investigation in a timely manner; second, supervise food producers and operators to implement primary responsibility; third, continue to strengthen daily supervision; The fourth is to implement preventive disinfection measures; the fifth is to promote the construction of a traceability platform.
Since October 30, Tianjin Cold Chain Food Traceability Platform has been fully operational. Consumers can find out the country / region of origin, upstream companies (importers), inspection and quarantine certificates and other information by scanning the traceable electronic source code on the outer packaging of the product or container.
“Summing up the experience of the last 11 months, we are confident in preventing a recurrence of the epidemic.” Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiology expert at the China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that in the face of the large influx of people during the Spring Festival in the future, as long as there are no infected people in the population, no one will occur. important occurrence. Of the epidemic.
