When it comes to food, while taste and texture are important, we should prioritize food safety. Amid frequent food safety incidents, we urge everyone to shop wisely. At minimum, adhere to the following shopping principles. So what are the key principles for purchasing healthy ingredients?
Many food connoisseurs prioritize appearance, aroma, and flavor when enjoying cuisine.However, precisely because of this, many foods are loaded with additives to enhance flavor. Is this truly safe? Could it impact health? Renowned food safety and environmental expert Dong Jinshi states: While we cannot verify the safety of additives in commercially sold foods, when cooking at home, we must be vigilant about how we select ingredients. By taking responsibility for our own choices, we can ensure both delicious and healthy meals!
4 Essential Tips for Safe Food Selection
1. Avoid Foods of Uncertain Origin
Exercise caution with products featuring unclear labeling, entirely foreign-language labels, or those sold outside regulated venues. While such items may be cheaper, they lack assurance—can you truly eat them with peace of mind?
2. Recognize Fresh Meat
When selecting meat, look for a pinkish hue and springy texture to indicate freshness. For fish, pay extra attention: clear eyes, bright red gills, and no fishy odor signify freshness. Whenever possible, purchase meat from large supermarkets or stores where quality is assured.
3. Ensure Complete Food Labeling
When buying packaged fresh foods at supermarkets, beyond checking the price, carefully examine whether the packaging information is complete and detailed. This includes: net content, product name, food additives, manufacturer name, address, contact information, shelf life, place of origin, and production date.
4. Choose vegetable oils
Minimize consumption of animal fats, as they contain high cholesterol levels detrimental to heart and vascular health. When purchasing oils, pay special attention to whether the packaging displays manufacturer information and the QS production license mark. Only oils bearing these details offer quality assurance.