Nowadays, as the pace of people’s lives and work accelerates, instant noodles, instant vermicelli, instant rice and other convenience foods are favored by many consumers. However, some consumers believe that convenience foods are not very nutritious and the additives added are not good for human health... What do experts think of consumers' concerns?

■Question 1: Are convenience foods nutritious?

Nowadays, consumers are paying more and more attention to the nutrition of food, and there are more and more doubts that eating convenience foods will cause nutritional deficiencies. The reporter interviewed 6 consumers, 3 of whom believed that convenience foods are not nutritious; 2 believed that rice and vermicelli may be more nutritious than instant noodles; 1 said it did not matter and that taste was more important when choosing convenience foods.

■Expert Q&A Hu Xiaosong believes that no single food can provide people with comprehensive nutrition, and no one can fully meet the nutritional needs of body growth and development by eating only one food. Instant noodles, like rice, bread and other staple foods, contain incomplete nutrients.

Hu Xiaosong reminds consumers that when eating instant noodles, just add some foods and vegetables containing protein and trace elements to make up for its nutritional deficiencies, such as: add an egg, a few noodles to a bowl of instant noodles Vegetables are fine. In addition, good instant noodle manufacturers use nutritionally fortified flour and add eggs, meat, aquatic products, dehydrated vegetables and other condiments into seasoning packets, which can basically ensure that people obtain nutritional needs.

The recently introduced national standard for "Instant Noodles" sets a limit for the protein content in instant noodles for the first time - no less than 8% to ensure the nutrition of instant noodles. Hu Xiaosong said that it is wrong to think that instant noodles are completely nutritious. However, when eating, you should pay attention to nutritional balance and do not eat one kind of food for a long time.

■Question 2: Are additives harmful to health?

In the Auchan Supermarket on Shuhan Road in Chengdu, two college students who were

selecting convenience foods said in an interview with

reporters: "Instant noodles, convenience fans, convenience Rice and other convenience foods are cheap, taste good, and convenient to eat, and we love them.” They also said that some additives added to convenience foods still worry them, fearing that eating convenience foods will be detrimental to their health.

■Expert Q&A Hu Xiaosong said that many consumers believe that adding additives to food is not good for human health. In fact, this is a misunderstanding. The food industry is inseparable from additives. Many convenience foods contain leavening agents, color-protecting agents, and preservatives. However, as long as they are added within the scope of national standards, they will not harm the health of consumers.

According to GB2760-1996 "Hygienic Standards for the Use of Food Additives", natural pigments are allowed to be added to convenience foods, but artificial pigments are not allowed. Since synthetic pigments have brighter colors, stronger tinting power, stable properties and cheaper prices than natural pigments, some companies use synthetic pigments instead of natural pigments in order to reduce production costs. Artificial synthetic pigments not only fail to provide nutrients to the human body, but can also lead to reduced fertility, teratogenesis, etc., and may even be converted into carcinogens. In addition, many synthetic food colors may contain arsenic and lead during the production process. Butter yellow, which was used to color margarine in the past, has long been proven to cause liver cancer in humans and animals, while other types of synthetic pigments such as orange can cause subcutaneous sarcoma, liver cancer, intestinal cancer and malignant lymphoma.

Hu Xiaosong said that the preservatives sorbic acid or benzoic acid within the scope of national standards can be added to sauce packets of instant noodles, instant vermicelli, and instant rice, but they must be marked in the ingredient list of the outer packaging. Some companies have not done so, which shows that the companies do not have enough understanding of GB7718-2004 "General Standard for Food Labeling" or do not pay enough attention to product standards.

■Question 3: Is frying unhealthy?

“I heard that fried instant noodles are junk food and contain carcinogens, so I generally don’t eat them. If I really want to eat them, I only choose non-fried instant noodles.” Buying food at Auchan Supermarket on Shuhan Road Miss Zhong told reporters this.

Miss Chen, a citizen of Chengdu, said: "I have also heard that eating too much fried instant noodles will make people older. It is terrible to think about paying the price of aging just to satisfy your appetite, so No matter how delicious it is, I will refuse it.”

The reporter found in the market that except for some instant noodles that are fried, instant vermicelli and noodles are not fried. So, do fried instant noodles really contain carcinogens?

■Expert Q&A Hu Xiaosong said that most instant noodles are fried to dry the noodles, but compared with French fries, hamburgers, etc., the fat content in instant noodles is not very high, on average The fat content per serving is about 16 to 18, of which 11 is palm oil, a vegetable oil that is harmless to the human body. The fat content in a hamburger is about 30 on average, which is nearly twice as high as instant noodles, so Compared with fast food such as burgers, instant noodles cannot be regarded as junk food.

Hu Xiaosong told reporters that the instant noodles Ms. Zhong mentioned contained carcinogens, which should be acrylamide. Acrylamide may harm the reproductive system, immune system, genetic system and nervous system of animals. However, when starchy foods are cooked at high temperatures above 120°C, the harmful substance "acrylamide" will be produced. It is found in French fries and convenience foods. In other words, whether you are frying or not frying, it may contain acrylamide.

Hu Xiaosong said that under normal circumstances, the acrylamide content in instant noodles is very low. In July 2006, Ji Zhengkun, director of the Product Quality Supervision Department of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, stated at the "High-Level Forum on Instant Noodle Safety Issues" that both fried and non-fried instant noodles contain trace amounts of acrylamide, a possible carcinogen. It is harmless to the human body and ends the debate between fried and non-fried food.

As for the issue that oxidized lipids cause aging, Hu Xiaosong said that it takes a certain amount of time and process for the oxidation of oil to produce oxidized lipids. As long as it is during the shelf life of instant noodles, the content of oxidized lipids will not be harmful. Human health.

So, the claim that eating instant noodles causes cancer is a bit alarmist.