Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, January 28th, title: Imported food packaging "Chengyang" from many places, is the cold chain still safe?
Xinhua News Agency reporter
Recently, imported whey powder used in Tianjin ice cream, cherries imported from Wuxi, Jiangsu, frozen chicken wings imported from Zhongshan, Guangdong... Many imported food packages have been tested positive for the new coronavirus nucleic acid.
Key words such as "cold chain", "virus" and "positive" have once again entered the public eye.
Does "nucleic acid positive" mean "contagious"?
What are the current measures and effects for the comprehensive elimination and detection of entry?
How to eat cold chain food safely?
The reporter interviewed authoritative experts and industry insiders on hot issues of common concern.
Nucleic acid positive = contagious? Expert: Not necessarily
On January 14, Tianjin found three ice cream samples with positive nucleic acid test results for the new crown virus; on January 19, a batch of Brazilian frozen chicken wings in Zhongshan, Guangdong tested positive for the nucleic acid test results; January 23, 1 imported from Chile in Wuxi, Jiangsu The nucleic acid test of the new coronavirus on the inner surface of cherries was positive...
——What does a positive nucleic acid test result mean?
"Tests for live viruses, dead viruses, and virus fragments will all show positive nucleic acid." said Feng Zijian, deputy director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
In other words, direct expression of nucleic acid positive means that the object has been contaminated by a virus.
Su Xu, deputy director of the Tianjin Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also said that nucleic acid testing can detect the traces of the virus that have been left, regardless of whether the virus is dead or alive. For surfaces or food, even if it is an inactive virus, it can still detect nucleic acid. Chengyang".
"The genetic sequencing of whey powder samples failed to obtain all genome sequences, suggesting that the virus content may be low or the virus is incomplete (dead virus)." Three samples of whey powder imported from Ukraine used in the production of Tianjin ice cream tested positive for nucleic acid For the case, Su Xu further explained.
-Is a positive nucleic acid test result contagious?
Su Xu said that there have been cases of positive nucleic acid on the surface of objects, but few cases can be transmitted to humans.
"A positive nucleic acid result does not necessarily mean it is contagious." Feng Zijian said that at present, ordinary consumers have not been found to be infected by virus-contaminated imported goods. In the past, people engaged in handling or food processing were infected, mainly because of the high number of contacts. ,long time.
Previously, Zhang Liubo, chief expert in disinfection of the China Centers for Disease Control and director of the Disinfection and Infection Control Center of the Environmental Institute, made it clear that safe and effective disinfection of the outer packaging surface of imported cold chain food can achieve the inactivation of the new coronavirus and disinfect the surface before contacting the surface. , The risk of infection is very low.
Guarding the "First Line of Defense" for entry
The exclusive data obtained by the reporter showed that as of 0:00 on January 26, the national customs had supervised the port link to carry out preventive disinfection of 14.79 million imported cold chain food outer packagings, and a total of 1,369,666 imported cold chain food samples were sampled and tested, and the new crown was detected. There were 51 positive results of viral nucleic acid.
Customs, market supervision and other departments have made the transportation and storage of cold chain products the focus of epidemic prevention and control supervision, adopting preventive disinfection, centralized nucleic acid testing, supervision of special warehouses, and cold chain food traceability, etc., to keep the "first" of entering the country. Line of defense".
Local governments are also taking action.
Taking Shandong as an example, in order to strengthen the supervision of imported cold chain food, Shandong has established a special warehouse system for centralized supervision of imported cold chain food in the province at the end of 2020, and imported cold chain at Shandong ports, destination cities or counties (districts, cities), etc. At the first entry point of food, a special warehouse for centralized supervision of imported cold chain food will be set up to focus on nucleic acid testing and preventive comprehensive disinfection.
Imported cold chain foods with negative nucleic acid test results are allowed to be released for circulation.
Units including food production, sales, catering services, and cold storage must register all transport vehicles and employees involved in imported cold chain food, implement closed-loop management, and trace the entire process.
All imported cold chain foods with incomplete "three cold chain certificates" cannot be produced, sold, or used in Shandong.
"The cold-chain tunnel-type omnidirectional disinfection device developed by Tianjin Customs has been put into use." said Hou Jinpo, deputy commissioner of Tianjin Customs. All products that enter the city's circulation from Tianjin Port will be completely destroyed, and follow-up disposal of goods will be strictly done. , To carry out investigation on the similar goods of the involved production enterprises, and strengthen the monitoring and disinfection of the cold chain goods at the port.
As of the 26th, the customs has taken emergency preventive measures against relevant 41 overseas food production companies, and taken measures to suspend export to China for 125 overseas production companies whose employees have been infected with the new crown pneumonia epidemic.
How to eat cold chain food with confidence?
Nucleic acid testing of cold chain food packaging has been repeatedly "successful", mainly due to the following factors: first, the contaminated cold chain goods mostly come from high-risk countries and regions; second, the low temperature resistance of the new coronavirus makes it easier to survive in the cold storage environment; Because of the large number of imported cold chain foods, it is difficult for nucleic acid sampling to find all potential risks.
Chen Junshi, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and general counsel of the National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, said that the new crown pneumonia is a respiratory infectious disease, not a food-borne disease, and the possibility of infection with the new crown virus through the digestive tract is very small.
With regard to imported food, the public need not be overly nervous or careless.
Industry insiders have repeatedly stated that in the process of packaging and transportation of frozen food, it is not ruled out that workers have been infected with the new crown virus and transmitted to the packaging of goods through different contact methods.
Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, reminded that the public should wear masks and gloves when receiving imported goods, and perform preventive disinfection of all layers of packaging, and promptly wash hands after handling.
At the same time, packaging boxes and packaging boxes should be discarded or destroyed in time after disinfection, and should not be brought indoors as much as possible. It is recommended that imported goods be stored for a period of time before use.
Cleaners, sanitation workers and other related workers who come into contact with imported goods packaging or waste during work should strengthen personal protection and conduct health monitoring.
"Compared with frozen fish meat, fruits are stored at a higher temperature, and the virus will not survive on the surface of the fruit for too long." said Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Maintaining hand hygiene and keeping raw and cooked separately will cause infection. The risk will be very small.
(Reporters Peng Yunjia, Liu Hongxia, Zhang Yuqi, Wang Junlu, Shao Kun)