Eat self-heating food, please maintain the correct "posture"

  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 degrees Celsius, relying on chemical reaction to release heat.

As long as the operation is regulated, self-heating food will not explode.

  —— Ruan Guangfeng, Director of Science and Technology Department of Kexin Food and Nutrition Information Exchange Center

  ◎Reporter Zhang Yun

  This week, some areas of our country ushered in a wave of cooling, which really made everyone feel the "cold spring".

The weather is getting cold, but one area is heating up, and that is self-heating food.

  Especially noteworthy is the recent popularity of hot drinks on the Internet, from coffee and milk, to milk tea, functional drinks, and red wine, all types of drinks can be self-heated.

As early as a few years ago, self-heating hot pot and self-heating rice had been on fire for a while.

The self-heating food market, represented by self-heating hot pot, still maintains 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?

In this regard, a reporter from Science and Technology Daily interviewed relevant experts.

  Follow the instructions and do not 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 degrees Celsius, relying on chemical reactions to release heat." Said Ruan Guangfeng, director of the Science and Technology Department of the Food and Nutrition Information Exchange Center.

  However, since the listing, incidents of explosions of self-heating food have occurred frequently due to improper operation.

Some people therefore regard self-heating food as a "time bomb" and avoid it for fear.

  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, the food is generally safe; if they do not follow the specifications, there will be safety Hidden dangers.

  Therefore, the fire department reminds consumers that before consuming self-heating food, they must read the product instructions and strictly follow the product instructions, especially not to eat 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 self-heating food to avoid glass explosion.

At the same time, after eating, avoid massive accumulation of self-heating food waste or direct contact with water; after use, heat packs should also be classified as hazardous waste for disposal.

  Single nutrition, excessive sodium content, 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 degrees Celsius, 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 severe cases.

  “Self-heating food only uses its own heat source to reheat the food. The heat source does not directly contact the food. It does not affect the food. This heating method is the same as heating in a pot or a microwave.” Ruan Guangfeng told Journalist of Science and Technology Daily.

  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 food will not cause bowel cancer, self-heating food, as a member of convenience foods, still has the problems of single nutrition and excessive sodium content, so it is not suitable for long-term consumption.

  In this regard, Liao Xiaojun, a professor at the School of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering of China Agricultural University, introduced that taking self-heating hot pot as an example, the varieties of dishes of major brands are very similar, mostly luncheon meat, vermicelli, lotus root and other ingredients, and the nutrition is not balanced. Fat, salt and other ingredients seriously exceed the standard.

According to the nutritional composition table of a well-known brand of spicy tender beef self-heating hot pot, the fat content per 100 grams of this product is 86.3 grams, and the nutrient reference value is 144%; the sodium content is 5.9 grams, and the nutrient reference value is 295%.

Both contents exceed the recommended intake of the Chinese Nutrition Society.

Most of the other brands of self-heating hot pot nutrition facts are the same.