Can I still buy cold-chained food? How to handle it safely?

Beef, balsa fish, Chelsea, ice-cream, all these mouth-watering foods, since the outbreak of the epidemic, have been exposed from time to time to positive nucleic acid tests on food and its outer packaging. Cold chain food has become a common food in our daily life,cold chain now less than 20 days from the Spring Festival, we have begun to prepare for the New Year's Eve, car carries, seafood and other cold chain food is the New Year's Eve in the "popular players", how should we enjoy them? Let us keep in mind the following "knowledge points"!

What is cold chain?

Cold chain is a special supply chain system that refers to certain products in the process of processing, storage, transportation, distribution and retailing, and the use of the process, each link is always in the specific low-temperature environment required by the product,cold warehouse in order to reduce loss, prevent contamination and deterioration, so as to ensure the safety of the product. Cold chain is widely used in primary agricultural products, processed food, special commodities and other fields, and the most closely related to our life or cold chain food.

Why is it easy for cold chain food to be "hit"?

Most of the products involved come from high-risk countries and regions, such as the United States, Brazil and Northern Europe. The low-temperature resistance of the new coronavirus makes it easier to survive in a cold storage environment. The number of imported cold chain food is huge, and it is difficult to detect all the potential risks through random inspection. The loading and unloading process is also a difficult point for epidemic prevention.

What do I need to pay attention to when buying cold chain food?

1. Try to buy frozen food from regular supermarkets and markets. Regular supermarkets have stricter management requirements for selling food, more comprehensive disinfection of the sales place on a daily basis and stricter management of the staff, which can better ensure food safety.

2. Bring sterilized paper towels and clean shopping bags. Supermarket trolleys and shopping baskets are touched by many people and may become a source of cross-contamination. You can disinfect the handles and armrests with disinfectant paper towels or disinfectant solution before use.

3. When purchasing seafood, meat and other fresh frozen and chilled food, pay attention to good personal protection, it is best to wear disposable gloves, or a disposable shopping bag over the hand before selection, do not touch the cold chain food directly with your hands.

4. Pay attention to the contents of food labels such as production date, shelf life and storage conditions of cold chain food to ensure that the food is within the shelf life.

How to handle cold chain food properly?

1. After purchasing cold chain food at home, you can use 75% alcohol to sterilize the outer package. When storing such products, it is best to use independent closed packaging and separate packaging and storage from other foods such as fruits and vegetables and cooked foods to avoid cross contamination.

2. Wash hands frequently and practice good hygiene. Pay attention to hand washing before, during and after handling food. After touching cold chain food, take care to wash hands with soap and avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth without washing hands.

3. Frozen seafood and frozen meat bought home should be carefully cleaned. When cleaning, pay attention to prevent splashing and do not rinse raw meat products directly under the faucet to prevent splashing and contamination. Raw meat can be put into a basin to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.

4. Separate raw and cooked food from the plates, knives and containers used for handling food. It is better to prepare 2~3 chopping boards at home, which are specially used for cutting raw food and food that can be eaten directly raw, do not mix them. Cutting frozen food and cooked food knife should also pay attention to the separate use.

5. Cooking frozen chilled food should be cooked thoroughly, and avoid eating seafood raw, half raw, soaked in wine, vinegar or salt directly after eating. Food can be effectively prevented from infection if it is well heated and cooked before eating.