On March 21, the State Administration for Market Regulation and six other departments jointly issued the Notice on Strengthening the Safety Supervision of Prefabricated Vegetables and Promoting the High Quality Development of the Industry (hereinafter referred to as the "Notice"). The notice focuses on four aspects: the scope of prefabricated dishes, the construction of standard systems, food safety supervision, and promoting high-quality development of the industry, and for the first time clarifies the scope of prefabricated dishes at the national level.
According to the Notice, prefabricated dishes, also known as prefabricated dishes, are prepackaged dishes that are made from one or more kinds of edible agricultural products and their products, with or without seasoning and other auxiliary materials, without adding preservatives, through industrial pre processing (such as mixing, pickling, rolling, shaping, frying, frying, baking, boiling, steaming, etc.), with or without seasoning bags, meet the storage, transportation and sales conditions indicated on the product label, and can be eaten after heating or cooking, excluding staple foods, such as quick-frozen noodle food, instant food, boxed rice, covered rice, Mantou, pastries, meat buns, bread, hamburgers, sandwiches, Pizza, etc.
Regarding the understanding of the scope of prefabricated dishes, the relevant department heads of the State Administration for Market Regulation stated that the scope of prefabricated dishes should combine the characteristics of prefabrication and dishes. On the one hand, highlighting the characteristics of industrial pre processing. Prefabricated dishes should have and meet the characteristics and requirements of large-scale, standardized, clean and standardized food production and processing, and better leverage the advantages of food industrialization. Considering the widespread use of the central kitchen model by chain catering enterprises, their self-produced, semi-finished, and finished dishes delivered to their own stores should comply with the legal, regulatory, and standard requirements for food safety in catering. The dishes made in the central kitchen are not included in the scope of pre made dishes. On the other hand, highlight the attributes of dishes. Pure vegetable food that has undergone simple processing such as cleaning, peeling, and cutting, but has not been cooked, belongs to edible agricultural products and does not belong to pre made dishes. The staple food products such as quick-frozen noodles and rice food, instant food, boxed rice, covered rice, Mantou, pastries, meat buns, bread, hamburgers, sandwiches, pizza, etc. are not pre prepared dishes. In addition, the definition emphasizes heating or cooking before consumption. Instant foods that can be consumed without heating or cooking, as well as cold dishes such as vegetable (fruit) salads that can be consumed directly, are not considered pre made dishes.

Previously, topics on social media such as "Gai Shui Fan is a disaster area for pre made dishes" and "chain catering brands all use pre made dishes" have attracted attention and discussion from netizens. This notice clearly states that dishes such as covered rice and dishes made by central kitchens of chain catering enterprises are not included in the scope of prefabricated dishes.

The reporter inquired about the information and found that before the release of the Notice, the industry had divided the prepared dishes into four categories according to the relevant group standards of the "prepared dishes": ready to eat (such as Babao Congee, canned ready to eat); Instant heat (such as quick-frozen rice dumpling, self heating hotpot); Instant cooking (semi-finished dishes that require heating for cooking); Ready to serve (such as clean vegetables without washing or cutting). According to the latest definition in the Notice, ready to eat, ready to serve, and some ready to heat products in the four categories are no longer classified as pre made dishes.
Fan Zhihong, professor of the School of Food of China Agricultural University and chief expert of science communication of the China Association for Science and Technology, said that according to the definition and scope of prepared dishes in the Notice, frozen dumplings and frozen rice dumpling, which were previously considered as prepared dishes by consumers, are no longer considered as prepared dishes. In order to understand what is currently defined as prepared dishes, Fan Zhihong said, for example, that fish flavored shredded meat that can be eaten after opening the package and heating, frozen semi cooked steak with seasoning package, pickled Chinese cabbage fish frozen with liquid nitrogen in thick aluminum foil box, etc. are all prepared dishes.
The notice also emphasizes that no preservatives should be added to pre made dishes. The person in charge of the relevant department of the State Administration for Market Regulation introduced that although prefabricated dishes have undergone industrial prefabrication, they still belong to the category of dishes. Consumers generally do not add preservatives during the cooking process of dishes, and it is more in line with consumer expectations not to add preservatives to prefabricated dishes. In addition, it has gradually become a consensus in the industry that food additives should not be added unless necessary, and that the amount of food additives used in food should be reduced as much as possible while achieving the expected results. Pre made dishes are stored under conditions such as freezing and refrigeration, as well as through sterilization and post-processing techniques, without the necessity of using preservatives.
Fan Zhihong also believes that pre made dishes do not require the addition of preservatives. She said that pre made dishes can extend their shelf life through quick freezing or various sterilization methods. But previously, many consumers believed that there must be preservatives in pre made dishes. This official document directly states that it is prohibited, which helps to reassure consumers.