英语新闻丨Supervision tightened on semi-prepared foods

Authorities have moved to tighten oversight of the rapidly expanding semi-prepared food industry, ironing out definitions of precooked dishes and rolling out rules on the use of additives in the sector to ensure food safety.针对快速扩张的预制菜行业中国政府已采取行动，加强监管力度，明确了预制菜的定义，并推出了行业添加剂使用规则，以确保食品安全。Restaurants are also being encouraged to identify dishes on their menus that include semi-prepared ingredients, a move that experts say will help customers make informed decisions.还鼓励餐厅在菜单标明包含半成品食材的菜肴，专家表示此举将帮助顾客做出明智的决定。The reforms, led by the State Administration for Market Regulation, which oversees product quality and consumer rights, were outlined in a circular issued on Thursday by six government agencies.3月21日，六家政府机构发布通知，介绍了此次预制菜行业改革，此次改革由负责监督产品质量和消费者权利的国家市场监督管理总局牵头。Share prices of companies involved in the semi-prepared food sector fell by an average of 2 percent on the A-share market on Monday because of the strengthened oversight. Industry insiders said the rules were the first to clarify the definition of semi-prepared food and set out safety and quality standards for the multibillion yuan industry.3月25日，由于监管力度加强，A股市场半成品食品公司股价平均下跌2%。业内人士表示，该规定首次明确了半成品食品的定义，并为这个价值数十亿元的行业制定了安全和质量标准。China has more than 70,000 companies making food items that have undergone some preparation but are not fully cooked or ready to eat, according to Xinhua News Agency. Their output value topped 500 billion yuan ($69.4 million) last year and is on track to surpass 1 trillion yuan in a few years, it said.据新华社报道，中国有超过70,000家企业生产经过一定处理但尚未完全煮熟或即食的食品。去年其产值突破5000亿元，并有望在几年内突破1万亿元。The new rules differentiate between semi-prepared food — also known as prepackaged meals — and other food items, such as instant noodles, frozen dumplings and salads. They say semi-prepared food must be a dish that can be consumed after simple preparations such as heating or boiling.新规区将预制食品（也称为预包装食品）和其他食品做了区分，例如方便面、冷冻饺子和沙拉。他们说，预知食品必须是经过简单准备（例如加热或煮沸）后即可食用的菜肴。Experts said makers of frozen foods such as dumplings and hamburgers will no longer be regarded as being semi-prepared food businesses, and will be unable to ignore regulations in their own sector or enjoy preferential policies tailor-made for semi-prepared food makers. They said the generalization of the concept of semi-prepared food had previously created regulatory difficulties.专家表示，饺子、汉堡包等冷冻食品生产企业将不再被视为预制菜企业，要接受其真正所属行业的监管，不能享受针对预制菜生产企业的优惠政策。他们表示，此前预制菜概念的泛化造成了一定监管困难。Zhang Chunhui, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences' Institute of Food Science and Technology, told Xinhua the rules raised the threshold for manufacturers and separated semi-prepared food from other business models, such as those processing and packaging pre-cut uncooked vegetables and meat, or "central kitchens" that prepare and distribute food to satellite kitchens, restaurants, or cafeterias to reduce costs and ensure uniformity.中国农业科学院食品科学技术研究所研究员张春辉告诉新华社，该规定提高了生产企业的门槛，并将半成品食品与其他商业模式分开。后者包括负责加工和包装预切未加工蔬菜和肉类的企业，以及负责准备食物并将其分发到卫星厨房、餐馆和自助餐厅，以降低成本并保证菜品质量的“中央厨房”。In a media release issued on Monday, an unnamed official with the State Administration for Market Regulation said ready-to-eat foods that do not require heating or cooking, as well as cold dishes such as vegetables or fruit salads that can be consumed directly, are not considered semi-prepared dishes. The official said semi-prepared food is an emerging sector that has integrated agriculture, manufacturing and service industries and boasts a sprawling supply chain. It is significant in promoting the deep processing of agricultural products, transforming the food industry, consumer upgrading, entrepreneurship and employment.国家市场监管总局一位官员表示，不需要加热或烹饪的即食食品，以及可以直接食用的蔬菜、水果沙拉等冷菜，不属于预制菜。预制菜行业是集农业、制造业、服务业为一体的新兴产业，拥有庞大的供应链。这对于推动农产品深加工、食品产业转型、消费升级、创业就业具有重要意义。The circular also addressed rising food safety concerns in the sector, where poor quality raw materials and banned food additives are harder to spot after being processed. It said preservatives shall be prohibited in the making of semi-prepared food items, which shall be subject to strict storage conditions related to freezing, refrigeration and sterilization. The use of additives must be strictly controlled, along with the quality of other raw materials.因为劣质原材料和禁用食品添加剂在加工后更难被发现，所以预制菜行业的食品安全问题越来越得到人们的关注。针对这一问题，该通知也做出了相关规定：预制菜制作过程中不得使用防腐剂，应当遵守严格的冷冻、冷藏和灭菌等储存条件。添加剂的使用以及其他原材料的质量必须受到严格控制。The increased focus on food safety followed media reports on March 15 — World Consumer Rights Daythat companies in Anhui province, a stronghold of semi-prepared food makers, had used cheaper meat from the necks of pigs to make a precooked dish that should have contained pork belly. The companies involved have been shut down and their owners detained.3月15日世界消费者权益日，有媒体报道称，安徽省的一家大型预制菜企业使用更便宜的猪颈肉来代替五花肉制作梅菜扣肉预制菜。报道发出后，食品安全问题受到越来越多的关注。涉事公司已被关闭，其所有者被拘留。Semi-prepared food grew in popularity during COVID-19 pandemic, when white-collar employees worked from home and cooked for themselves. The products were also embraced by restaurants, but some consumers felt deceived when they learned the dishes they paid for were not cooked from scratch.在COVID-19大流行期间，白领员工居家办公并自己做饭，预制菜成为了一个热门选择，随后预制菜也受到了餐馆的青睐，被端上了餐厅饭桌上。但消费者在得知自己支付的菜肴并非新鲜烹制时，还是会感觉受到了欺骗。generalization of concept概念泛化semi-prepared food预制菜