A man was fined 5,000 yuan for slapping a cucumber? Is this unfair?

Who doesn’t want to eat some refreshing and pleasant cold dishes in summer? But recently, the news #Many Anhui restaurants fined 5,000 yuan for serving smashed cucumbers# became a hot search. Many people may not understand after reading it: “Isn’t it just a salad of smashed cucumbers? Is it illegal? We can’t eat it? Can we still order it when we go to restaurants in the future?”

▲Photo: Screenshot from Weibo

Don't be surprised, this is true, and not every restaurant is qualified to sell smashed cucumbers, nor can you eat smashed cucumbers at ease in every restaurant. Not only smashed cucumbers, but also cold tomatoes, cold bean curd, cold baby cabbage, etc. cannot be ordered casually. In this article, let's talk about the things about cold dishes so that you can eat them with confidence in the future.

01

Is it unfair to be fined 5,000?

Although it is not easy for a small restaurant to earn 5,000 yuan, it is probably just a loss this time. Let's take a look at the cause of the incident: a customer complained that he felt unwell after eating the smashed cucumbers from a certain restaurant, and the focus of the dispute was on the smashed cucumber cold dish made by the restaurant. After receiving the complaint, the relevant department investigated the restaurant and found that the restaurant did not have a cold food permit.

First of all, let me make it clear that smashing cucumbers is not illegal in itself. This restaurant was not fined for smashing cucumbers, but because these fined restaurants do not have cold food licenses and do not have the conditions to make cold dishes for sale.

If a restaurant wants to sell cold food such as salads, it must have a cold food license, and words such as "production and sale of cold food" will be marked on the business license.

Screenshot from news

my country's "Food Safety Operation Specifications for Catering Services" clearly stipulates that if cold dishes are to be sold, the restaurant must have a special cold food room for making cold dishes and other cold dishes. The entire process of making cold dishes should be carried out in a special room, including meal preparation, food processing, fresh fruit and vegetable juice, fruit and vegetable platters, etc., and practitioners should wear masks.

Restaurants that do not meet the above conditions are not allowed to prepare and sell cold dishes such as cold dishes.

02

What are the safety risks of cold dishes?

Some friends may be wondering, I just slap a cucumber at home, it's not a big deal, why is it so troublesome in a restaurant? Don't worry, let's take a look at a set of statistics.

In 2013, a total of 200 cold dishes and cooked meat products in Changchun were selected and tested for microorganisms. The results showed that the detection rate of Staphylococcus aureus in cold dishes was 4%, and the detection rate of Staphylococcus aureus in cooked meat was 23.3% , and Escherichia coli was detected in both samples. [1]

In 2021, 200 cold dishes were collected from restaurants, supermarkets, and mobile stalls in Ya'an City for testing.** The results showed that a total of 24 strains of Staphylococcus aureus were isolated. The strains carried multiple virulence genes and had strong film-forming ability. The detection rate was 10.50%,** of which the detection rate in cold dishes was 13.73%. [2]

You see, you don’t know until you check, and you’ll be shocked when you check. While cold dishes bring people a refreshing enjoyment, they also have certain safety hazards. For example, unsanitary processing, unreasonable food storage, and inadequate staff hygiene treatment will cause the growth of harmful microorganisms, increase the food safety risk of cold dishes, and endanger human health.

Specifically, the risks of cold dishes mainly come from the following aspects:

① Raw materials: If the raw materials are purchased from an inappropriate source, the pesticide residues may exceed the standard; if the raw materials are purchased from farmers, they may be irrigated with manure and may contain bacteria and insect eggs, such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, etc.

② Transportation process: Raw materials are very likely to be bumped during transportation, causing surface damage. For example, the surface of fruits and vegetables may be damaged during the receipt and transportation of raw materials, which may increase the number of enterobacteria carried by the fruits and vegetables. [3]

③ Improper handling of ingredients: For example, if the black fungus in the restaurant is soaked for too long, it is very likely to produce fumonisin, which is a toxin produced by the genus Pseudomonas cereus. If fumonisin poisoning occurs, there is currently no specific antidote, and the mortality rate is over 40%. It should also be noted that some aquatic products, especially freshwater aquatic products, if made into sashimi and eaten raw, may cause infection because they cannot kill parasites.

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④ The chopping boards are not separated into raw and cooked food: Many small restaurants do not pay attention to details, and almost all of the chopping boards are not separated into raw and cooked food, which increases the risk of cross-contamination and the risk of food poisoning.

⑤ Long-term storage: Many restaurants have the habit of preparing meals in advance, and simply put the ingredients aside after cutting them. This will provide opportunities for microorganisms to invade and also cause the nutrients of fruits and vegetables to be lost.

So you see, it is indeed simple to make some cold dishes at home occasionally, but when it comes to restaurants, there are really many hidden dangers. No wonder our country has made relevant regulations on the production and sale of cold dishes.

03

How can you eat safe cold dishes?

Summer salads are so refreshing, there is no reason to give up eating them! How can you eat healthy and safe salads? Here are 5 tips:

① Check the restaurant's qualifications: If you go to a restaurant, make sure to check whether the restaurant's "Food Business License" has the words "cold food sales". If not, don't order. In addition, be careful not to order cold dishes such as golden apple snails, cold-mixed radish, cold-mixed lotus root slices, and cold-mixed black fungus, which may pose a food safety hazard.

② Wash the ingredients carefully: Rinse the fruit and vegetable ingredients carefully several times. For ingredients with a "tough" skin, you can brush them with a soft-bristled brush or peel them directly.

Don't be lazy when washing vegetables | Tuchong Creative

③Separate chopping boards: You should develop the habit of keeping raw and cooked chopping boards separate at home. Do not mix the chopping board for cutting vegetables and fruits with the one for cutting raw meat. Clean them carefully after use and hang them to dry.

④ Appropriate pretreatment: Food ingredients can be pretreated, such as blanching, seasoning with vinegar, seasoning with minced garlic, etc., which have a certain bactericidal effect [3]. Vinegar can also protect vitamin C from being destroyed and promote the body's absorption and utilization of calcium and iron. In addition, ultraviolet rays can be used to disinfect fruits and vegetables, tableware, cutting boards, cooking tools, etc. [3].

⑤ Eat immediately after cooking: Don’t cook too much at once just to make it easier to eat next time. Cold dishes are easy to breed bacteria and are difficult to store. Eat them immediately after they are cooked. Cook less at a time and eat all of them. Don’t leave any leftovers.

Summarize:

In the hot summer, of course, it is perfect to pair it with refreshing cold dishes! However, if you want to eat cold dishes safely, you must remember the 5 suggestions in the article! In addition, it is best not to eat raw animal food and aquatic plants, such as drunken shrimp, drunken crab, sashimi, and raw water chestnuts, lotus roots, water chestnuts, and houttuynia cordata.

Author | Xue Qingxin, member of Chinese Nutrition Society, registered dietitian, health manager, public nutritionist

Review | Han Hongwei, Director of Risk Communication Department, National Food Safety Risk Assessment Center

Editor | Ding Zong

References:

[1] Lu Yanxun, Xiao Tiantian, Song Jun, Zhang Bei. Isolation, identification and contamination analysis of Staphylococcus aureus and coliform bacteria in cold dishes and cooked meats[J]. Chinese Journal of Health Laboratory Technology, 2015, 25(02): 184-186.

[2] Wu Renzhi, Zhang Yi, Wang Xin, Dai Mingtao, He Xiaorong, He Qiaoling, Han Guoquan. Investigation and molecular typing of Staphylococcus aureus contamination in some cold dishes sold in Ya'an City [J/OL]. Chinese Journal of Food Hygiene: 1-11 [2022-08-03]. http://epub1.gou5juan.com/kcms/detail/11.3156.R.20220510.1429.002.html

[3] Yuan Yang. Spoilage microorganisms and risks of fruit and vegetable cold dishes[J]. Food Safety Guide, 2021(31):1-3. DOI:10.16043/j.cnki.cfs.2021.31.004.

This article is produced by the Science Popularization China-Creation Cultivation Program. Please indicate the source when reprinting