[Abstract] With the rapid development of the national economy and the continuous improvement of the quality of life of the people, people require to eat nutritious and safe food; However, in recent years, food poisoning incidents disclosed by the media are not uncommon. Analysis of the reasons, mainly microbial and chemical pollution on food safety. How to prevent "disease from entering the mouth" requires many measures: improving the scientific level of food safety inspection; Improve the food safety control system; Establish and improve food safety legislation; Increase market supervision and so on.
[Keywords] food safety; Influencing factors; Preventive measures
Food is one of the important substances for human survival and development, and its quality is directly related to people's health and even life safety. With the continuous improvement of China's national economic situation and the continuous improvement of people's living standards, people have put forward higher requirements for the quality of food, and food safety has become one of the most concerned issues. Food pollution incidents and group food poisoning, such as vegetable pesticide exceeding the standard, soy milk poisoning, high-content lean meat poisoning and pesticide-processed ham, have caused great attention of our government and relevant departments.
There are many reasons for the increase of food pollution or food-borne diseases. Industrial production and the application of new technologies, new raw materials and new products have led to increasingly complicated factors of food pollution; The environmental pollution caused by the rapid development of industry and agriculture directly affects the hygiene of agricultural products and food raw materials and causes a series of serious food pollution accidents. Due to the backward production and operation conditions of some foods, poor health awareness and low health management level of operators, food is cross-contaminated and food poisoning is caused. What's more, some illegal food producers and operators add toxic and harmful substances or abuse food additives for profit, which brings hidden dangers to food safety and poses a direct threat to consumers' health.
1. The main factors of food safety in China
(1) The influence of microorganisms on food safety
1. The influence of fungi on food safety. Fungi widely exist in nature, and some fungi are used in food industry, such as wine making, sauce making, bread fermentation, etc., but some fungi also bring harm to human health through food. The main types of food poisoning caused by fungi are aflatoxin, scab wheat poisoning, food poisoning leukopenia and sugarcane poisoning, etc. Eating food contaminated by these fungi can damage the liver and lead to cancer.
2. the influence of bacteria on food safety. There are many kinds of bacteria, which are widely distributed and closely related to human beings. Some foods, such as vinegar, monosodium glutamate and various amino acids, are made by using bacteria. But some bacteria also bring harm to human beings. According to statistics at home and abroad, among all kinds of food poisoning, bacterial food poisoning is the most. Poisoning is caused by Salmonella, pathogenic Escherichia coli, Clostridium botulinum, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas and so on.
3. The influence of virus on food safety. Viruses that cause human and animal diseases mainly include swine Minamata virus, rabies virus, foot-and-mouth disease virus and chronic virus.
4. The problem of food-borne diseases caused by microbial pollution is very prominent. According to statistics, in recent years, the Ministry of Health has received 1~2 reports of food poisoning every year, resulting in thousands of people getting sick and more than 1 people dying, most of which are caused by pathogenic microorganisms. In 21, food poisoning caused by enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli Q157: H7 broke out in Jiangsu, Anhui and other places, killing 177 people and poisoning more than 2, people.
(II) Effects of chemical pollution factors on food safety
Chemical pollution has many effects on food safety. The following only analyzes and discusses the influence of pesticide residues and food additives on food safety.
1. Effects of pesticide residues on food safety. In recent years, pesticides, herbicides and other pesticides have been widely used, especially pesticides containing phosphorus, which are the most serious pesticides in crops. According to the analysis of methamidophos residues in vegetables listed in Hangzhou, Wenzhou, Yunhe and Zhejiang, the detection rate of methamidophos was 4.8%, and the highest detection concentration was 1.85 mg/kg. The detection rates of leafy vegetables and cowpeas were higher, accounting for 51.7% ~ respectively. Long-term intake of phosphorus-containing pesticides can cause pathological changes such as decreased liver function, increased blood sugar and decreased phagocytosis of white blood cells, and has carcinogenic, teratogenic and mutagenic effects. In order to reduce pesticide residues in food, it is necessary to establish and improve pesticide laws and standards and strengthen the production management of raw crops.
2. the influence of food additives on food safety. Food additives are an important "role" in the food industry, which can improve the color, smell and taste of food and prolong the shelf life. Food additives mainly include colorants, preservatives, sweeteners, acidulants, chromogens, bleaches and preservatives. In the process of food processing, it is safe to add a certain amount of food additives to human body, and the amount of food additives is clearly stipulated in national standards and industry standards. However, long-term (or excessive) use of food additives will cause cancer, produce residual genotoxicity in the human body, and destroy metabolism. In real life, the phenomenon of excessive addition of food additives is more serious, and some of them illegally add chemicals that are seriously harmful to human body. For example, in order to make flour whiter, excessive benzoyl oxide (whitening agent) is added to flour. Adding excessive synthetic pigments, nitrite, etc. into cooked food and halogen products makes the food bright and attractive; In order to prolong the shelf life of food, excessive preservatives such as benzoic acid (sodium) are added; What's more, formaldehyde is added to rice flour to make it stronger and brighter. To ensure the food safety of food additives, we must strengthen the management of food additives, including toxicological evaluation of food additives, formulation and approval of food additive consumption standards, approval procedures for production or use of food additives, food additive regulations and so on.
3. the influence of environmental pollution on food safety. In the process of food production, processing, storage, distribution and production, food safety problems caused by environmental pollution are mainly aimed at the production process of animals and plants. In this production process, environmental pollutants enter or accumulate in animals and plants due to breathing, absorption and drinking water, thus affecting food safety. Environmental pollution mainly includes air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution and radioactive material pollution. According to the China Quality Bulletin in 1998, seven major water systems, lakes, reservoirs, groundwater in some areas and coastal waters in China have been polluted to varying degrees. The organisms growing in polluted water bodies, such as algae, fish and shrimp, shellfish and crabs, have been polluted, causing acute or chronic poisoning of human beings and even harming future generations. According to a survey conducted by the Agricultural Environmental Protection Research Institute, in the polluted areas of 24 provinces and cities in China, the over-standard rate of pollutants in agricultural and livestock products has reached 18.5%, and the total over-standard output is about 6.5 million tons. Eggs and vegetable products are the most seriously polluted, and the proportions of pollutants hygiene standards are 33.1% and 22.15% respectively.
ii. measures to prevent food safety incidents in China
food safety issues involve many government departments, food producers and operators and consumers. In order to improve food safety, ensure human health and promote social development, China has taken a lot of effective measures.
(1) Improve the scientific level in the field of food safety
Constantly explore new analytical and testing methods, open up new analytical and testing fields, and make efforts in food risk assessment technology, key control technology and food safety standards; Constantly improve the innovation ability of food safety, and gradually reach the level of equal dialogue with developed countries.
(II) Improve the food safety control system
Actively absorb international advanced food management experience, shift the focus of supervision and management from the inspection of final products to the whole process control of production and operation, and learn and gradually adopt HACCP control system.
(III) Strengthening laws and regulations related to food safety
Seriously study, revise and improve food safety laws, regulations and technical standards, speed up the integration with international standards, enhance the international competitiveness of the food industry, promote international exchanges and cooperation, and actively respond to the challenges of the WTO.
(4) Strengthen the supervision of the food market
Administrative law enforcement and public security and judicial departments should unite to control food pollution from the source, production, processing, storage, transportation and sales, increase punishment and crackdown, implement the market access system for agricultural products, strengthen the supervision of agricultural products quality and safety, and ensure the safety of the "vegetable basket" project.
(5) Strengthen cooperation among various industries
Agriculture, quality and technical supervision, industry and commerce, health and other departments should give full play to their functions, strengthen cooperation, rectify and standardize the market order, so as to purify the food environment and keep pollution away from our table.
we should not only carry out basic research on food safety, but also strengthen the supervision and management of production and consumption. I believe that with the concerted efforts of management departments, producers, scientific research institutions and consumers, with the continuous development of the above work, China's food safety and people's health level will certainly be further improved.
[Reference]
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[2] Chen Jinli. Discussion on food safety [J]. Food Research and Development, 24, (6). (3).
2 Differences among pollution-free agricultural products, green foods and organic foods
Pollution-free agricultural products, green foods and organic foods all refer to safe foods that meet certain standards, but their standard level, certification system and production methods are different. The main differences are as follows:
First, the quality standards are different. The quality standard of pollution-free agricultural products is equal to the domestic general food hygiene quality standard, and some indicators are slightly higher than the domestic general food hygiene standard; Green food is divided into AA and A grades, and its quality standards refer to the standards of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) of FAO and WHO, and the quality and safety standards of EU, which are higher than domestic similar standards. Organic food is equivalent to the basic standards of organic agriculture and product processing of EU and IFOAM, and its quality standards are basically the same as AA-level green food standards.
second, the authentication system is different. These three types of food must be recognized by specialized agencies and allowed to use specific marks, but the certification system is different. The certification system of pollution-free agricultural products is being established under the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture. At present, some provinces and municipal government departments have formulated local certification management measures, and each province and city has different signs; Green food is certified by China Green Food Development Center. China Green Food Development Center has set up 4 entrusted management agencies in various provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions and some cities under separate state planning, which are responsible for the relevant management work in their respective jurisdictions, and the signs with unified trademarks have been registered and used in mainland China, Hong Kong and Japan; Generally, organic food is certified by civil or private certification bodies audited and approved by government management departments in the world, but there is no uniform mark in the world, and the marks of various countries are diversified. In China, there are organizations that represent foreign certification bodies for organic certification.
third, the production methods are different. The production of pollution-free agricultural products must comply with the technical regulations of pollution-free agricultural products under good ecological environment conditions, and chemical compounds can be used scientifically and reasonably; Green food production is a combination of traditional agricultural technology and modern conventional agricultural technology, starting with the selection and improvement of agricultural ecological environment, restricting or prohibiting the use of chemical compounds and other toxic and harmful means of production, and implementing the whole process of quality control from soil to table; Organic food production must adopt the organic production mode, that is, under the supervision of the certification body, it will be produced completely according to the organic production mode for 1-3 years (the transformation period). After being recognized as an organic farm, the products can be listed with the organic logo and the word "organic".
organic food refers to agricultural products and their processed products that come from the organic agricultural production system, are produced and processed according to international organic agricultural production requirements and corresponding standards, and have been certified by the national organic food certification body.
Eight reasons for choosing organic food
After China joined the WTO, in order to effectively break through the increasingly strict "technical barriers to trade" in international agricultural products trade, China's green food has accelerated the pace of international development strategy and achieved remarkable results, and its product exports have maintained rapid growth.
The competitive advantages of green food in the international market are mainly reflected in five aspects:
First, the advantages of quality standards.
The quality standard of green food has reached the food hygiene and safety standards of developed countries as a whole, and the exported products can withstand the strict inspection of importing countries. In 22, the export of green food in Shandong Province earned 46 million US dollars, accounting for 8.8% of the province's agricultural products export. The construction of green food export base has played a positive role in demonstrating the standardized production of agricultural products exported by Shandong Province.
second, the advantages of quality assurance system.
the quality and safety system of "two-end monitoring, process control, quality certification and label management" is implemented in green food, which enhances the credibility of product quality and safety level. In recent years, many Japanese customers have directly visited the green food production base to learn about the environmental monitoring process of the production area, check the raw material production records of enterprises, and give recognition and affirmation to the green food certification procedures and standards.
third, enterprise and product advantages.
There are many leading and powerful enterprises in green food, with many deep-processed products and strong market development ability. In 22, the export of green food in Jiangxi Province reached 19.615 million US dollars. In the first half of this year, despite the impact of SARS, the export of green food in Jiangxi Province still reached 9.83 million US dollars. Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region actively develops the export of superior green food products such as tomato sauce, fragrant pears, hops and raisins. In 22, the export of green food products in the whole region earned 28.535 million US dollars. Jilin Province relies on large backbone green food export enterprises such as Deda, Changchun Haoyue and Yanbian Baolixiang Bee Industry to explore the international market. In 22, the province's green food exports exceeded 15 million US dollars.
fourth, environmental advantages.
Green food monitors and protects the environment of the producing area, which is easy to break the "green barrier" in the field of resources and environmental protection. Heilongjiang province gives full play to the advantages of agricultural ecological environment and agricultural products resources, and adheres to the development strategy of "playing green cards and taking a characteristic road".
v. brand and price advantages.
In the international market competition, the brand and price advantages of green food export products are gradually brought into play. In 22, Hubei Province exported 3,5 tons of green food products, earning 9.82 million US dollars, and the prices of some export products increased by 1% ~ 23% compared with those before certification. The price of peanut products, fried peanuts and roasted peanuts exported to Japan by some green food enterprises in Shandong Province is 12 tons.