Eat self-heating food, please maintain the correct “posture”
Especially noteworthy is the recent popularity of hot drinks on the Internet, from coffee and milk, to milk tea, functional beverages, and red wine, all types of beverages can be self-heated. The self-heating food market represented by self-heating hot pot and self-heating rice is still maintaining a rapid growth momentum.
However, safety accidents related to self-heating food also occur from time to time, causing many people to eat with fear. So, what is the correct “posture” for eating self-heating food?
Don’t eat in a small environment
First, let us understand what self-heating food is.
Self-heating food comes with a heating pack, and its temperature will rise when it encounters water, and the maximum holding time is about 3 hours. When using, just put the special heating pack on the bottom of the food box and pour a cup of cold water to make steaming food.
“The main components of the self-heating food heating package include sodium carbonate, iron powder, aluminum powder, coke powder, quicklime, etc., as long as cold water is poured into the heating package, the food box can be quickly heated to 150°C, relying on chemical reaction to release heat.” Said Ruan Guangfeng, director of the Science and Technology Department of the Food and Nutrition Information Exchange Center.
However, in recent years, incidents of self-heating food exploding due to improper operation have occurred frequently. Some people therefore regard self-heating food as a “time bomb” and avoid it.
In this regard, Ruan Guangfeng said that as long as the operation is regulated, self-heating food will not explode. Xiao Rong, director of the R&D Center of the New Materials Branch of Nanjing Aerospace Industry Technology Co., Ltd., also said that if consumers can make self-heating food in strict accordance with the specifications, in general, such foods are safe; if they do not follow the specifications, there will be safety. Hidden dangers.
Therefore, the fire department reminds consumers that before eating self-heating food, they need to read the product instructions and strictly follow the product instructions, especially not to eat them in closed and narrow environments such as cars and train cars. If you use a glass dining table at home, it is best to add heat insulation pads under the self-heating food to avoid glass cracking. At the same time, after eating, avoid a large amount of self-heating food waste or direct contact with water; heat packs after use should also be classified and disposed of as hazardous waste.
Not suitable for long-term consumption
Since self-heating food is convenient to eat, many people eat self-heating food regularly.
However, there is a saying on the Internet: When heating self-heating food, the heat source is in direct contact with the food. If the temperature exceeds 65°C, harmful substances in it will penetrate into the food. Long-term consumption will affect the human digestive system, reproductive system, and central nervous system. Damage to the system can cause bowel cancer in serious cases.
“Self-heating food only uses its own heat source to reheat the food. The heat source does not directly contact the food and does not affect the consumption. This heating method is the same as heating in a pot or microwave.” Ruan Guangfeng said .
Regarding whether this kind of food can cause bowel cancer, Feng Lin, deputy chief physician of the Endocrinology Department of Ningde Hospital, Fujian Medical University, introduced that the cause of bowel cancer is very complicated, and the academic community is not yet fully aware of its pathogenesis. There is currently no sufficient evidence to prove that eating. Self-heating food can cause cancer.
Although eating self-heating foods will not cause bowel cancer, self-heating foods, as a member of convenience foods, still have the problem of a single nutrient combination and excessive sodium content, so they are not suitable for long-term consumption.
