To ensure food safety, is it necessary to pack in layers for take-out?

The reporter noticed that in addition to the beautifully designed and recognizable paper bags, some stores also included handwritten post-it notes and small gifts in the takeaway
.
In order to better show consumers that the food is safe, a love card will be affixed to the lunch box to indicate the temperature of the production staff and the delivery staff
.

"The packaging is not only the meal, but also our service attitude
.
" A staff member of a chain restaurant in Beijing told reporters that the packaging is also highlighting the characteristics of the store.
Consumers have a better dining experience and a good reputation can also be exchanged for orders
.

"Each order is getting bigger and heavier,
" said Master Huang, a Meituan rider who delivers food near Fangzhuang, Beijing.
Now the platform intermediary is not responsible for the packaging business.
It is the merchants who solve it themselves.
The specific materials used vary.

.

According to statistics, the packaging materials currently on the market are mainly divided into the following categories: polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polystyrene plastic (PS)
.
Among them, polypropylene plastic accounts for more than half, and the amount is the largest.
This is mainly because this material is not only resistant to high temperatures, does not produce toxins, and has low cost
.
The degradable plastic lunch boxes are often discouraged by merchants because of the high cost
.

The production process is more important for food safety

"At present, the country and the industry have no specific standards for take-out packaging, but in principle, food safety should be the first, and environmental protection requirements should be the key consideration
.
" said Zhu Danpeng, an analyst in the Chinese food industry
.

In recent years, the issue of plastic pollution in food delivery has received much attention, and relevant policies have been issued from local to national levels
.
On November 10, the Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission and other departments issued the "Beijing Plastic Pollution Control Action Plan (2020-2025) (Draft for Solicitation of Comments)"
.
Among them, it is mentioned that six key industries such as catering and takeaway platforms should be strengthened to reduce plastics, such as encouraging takeaway platforms to increase publicity, and establish a good image of actively using biodegradable lunch boxes and reusable lunch boxes (tools), and Through the issuance of platforms "exclusive green coupons" and other measures to guide consumers to choose "no tableware" and other options
.

Some people in the industry also pointed out that the layered packaging of takeaway does not necessarily mean clean and sanitary.
Under the background of normalized epidemic prevention, the implementation of sanitary and safety standards requires strict control in all aspects of catering production and transportation
.

Ele.
me, senior food safety expert Miao Hong believes that the production process of the food itself is more important to food safety
.
As long as the lunch box meets the food safety standards, there is generally no problem, and the selection of packaging materials is often prone to safety risks
.
"For example, colored lunch boxes that do not meet the decolorization test standards, or some paper packaging boxes that do not meet the fluorescent substance standards, may affect food safety
.
" Miao Hong said
.

"What we want to prevent is artificial and malicious third parties other than merchants and diners who can move meals at will
.
" Miao Hong believes that as far as packaging is concerned, excessively sophisticated packaging is of little significance to food safety
.
(Reporter Qu Xinyue)