What kind of fish are the dried fish sold in supermarkets for one yuan a bag made of? Is it safe to eat?

Expert of this article: Pa Lize, chief physician of nutrition, former deputy director of the Institute of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Management of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Double Eleven is here, what did everyone buy?

The editor calculated that many people’s shopping carts must have some snacks.

Potato chips? Spicy noodles? Dried fish?

In the world of snacks, the fresh and fragrant dried fish certainly has a place.

When I started eating, I just kept eating one pack after another and couldn't stop at all.

But do you know what kind of fish the dried fish sold for 1 yuan per bag in supermarkets are made of? Does it have any nutritional value? Is it harmful to the body if you eat too much?

Don’t just focus on eating, come and take a look!

What kind of fish are the dried fish sold at 1 yuan per bag in the supermarket made of?

The dried fish sold at 1 yuan per bag in supermarkets are basically made from two kinds of fish: anchovies and whitebait. Both of these fish are small fish and can be eaten whole without removing scales, fins, heads and organs. In addition to being eaten fresh, most of them will be dried and processed into dried products or snacks collectively known as "sea bream".

What is the nutritional value of dried fish?

Both of these small fish are high-quality protein aquatic products, and contain potassium, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, zinc and vitamin A and other nutrients, but because other restricted intake ingredients are also high, they cannot be considered as foods with high nutritional value and health care ingredients. The nutritional characteristics of this fish are as follows:

Whitebait is a rare aquatic product with 100% edible parts and high-quality protein. Whitebait is dried in the sun for preservation and transportation. The nutrients of dried whitebait are concentrated as the moisture content decreases, but the color, aroma, taste and shape remain unchanged for a long time, and it can be perfectly matched with a variety of ingredients.

According to the Chinese Food Composition Table (Second Edition), fresh whitebait has a high protein content of 17.2g/100g. However, the fat and cholesterol content is not low, at 4g/100g and 361mg/100g respectively. From the existing data, it can be seen that every 100g of dried whitebait contains 72.1g of protein and 13g of fat.

Dried anchovies are the mainstay of small-packaged dried salted fish in supermarkets, and are also high in protein and fat. According to literature data, the total crude protein content of dried anchovies is 59.4%, and the fat content is as high as 16.0%, of which saturated fatty acids (SFA) account for 60.0% of the total fatty acids.

Therefore, it can be seen that the dried fish at 1 yuan a pack is not suitable for everyone, especially those with abnormal blood lipids or those who want to control their weight. However, when the protein intake of the main meal is insufficient, such as eating only rice porridge or bread for breakfast, choosing dried fish as a snack can better supplement nutrition and protect immunity.

Can you eat dried fish safely?

From the perspective of food safety, the small packages of dried fish sold in supermarkets are safe to eat.

From June 18, 2021, all companies producing and processing dried fish for edible fish must implement the group standard "Flavored Cooked Dried Fish (T/CAPPMA 01-2021)" approved and issued by the Standardization Technical Committee of the China Aquatic Products Circulation and Processing Association. In other words, the raw material processing and added ingredients of the dried fish currently sold on the market for 1 yuan per bag all meet the relevant food safety standards and can be used with confidence.

However, from a nutritional point of view, dried fish should not be eaten freely. As mentioned above, dried fish is high in fat and calories. Although it is also a high-protein food, it cannot help you lose weight and gain muscle like high-protein foods such as chicken breast or dried tofu. Instead, it becomes an energy bomb.

More importantly, the sodium content of dried fish is not low, and in order to change the fishy smell of dried fish, additives are inevitably added to prevent corrosion, inhibit bacteria, enhance color and improve taste. Even if the amount of additives is within the standard range, if consumed without restraint, it is likely to cause accumulation in the bodies of young children, pregnant women and the elderly and infirm, causing harm to their health.

What should you pay attention to when eating snacks?

First of all, scientifically and correctly choosing snacks can supplement the nutritional and energy deficiencies of regular meals, maintain vitality and good health, that is, choose unprocessed or low-processed low-fat, low-salt foods with no added sugar, such as soybeans, yogurt, fruits, steamed or baked potatoes and appropriate amounts of nuts.

However, once the wrong snacks are chosen and develop into a long-term habit, it will lead to health problems such as excess energy and nutritional imbalance. Especially for children and teenagers, it will affect their normal growth and development and lay the hidden dangers for the occurrence of certain diseases in adulthood.

For example, spicy strips, instant noodles, potato chips... are wrong choices for snacks. Not only are they high in oil, salt, refined carbohydrates, and addictive foods that stimulate the taste buds, they may also contain various additives, pigments, sweeteners, and even excessive heavy metals and pollution problems. Special attention should be paid to this, and try to eat less or no such snacks, especially for people in special physiological periods.

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