Buzz
The ambiguity surrounding the origin of food products, coupled with the prevalence of contaminated items, has instilled significant apprehension among consumers, leading to widespread societal concerns. With soaring social demand and the emergence of numerous clean food outlets, the clean eating market has never been more vibrant. So, what exactly constitutes clean eating? Let's delve into the discussion below!
1. Defining Clean Eating
In its simplest terms, clean eating refers to consuming food free from impurities, promoting safety and overall health. This includes:
- Free from residue of pesticides, chemicals, banned antibiotics, or exceeding permissible limits.
- Devoid of contaminants (metals, glass, hard objects, etc.).
- Absence of pathogenic biological agents (viruses, microorganisms, parasites).
- Complete, clear origin and source.
- Subjected to assessment and certification for food safety.
True clean food must ensure cleanliness throughout the entire production and distribution process
According to numerous studies and surveys conducted by experts in the field of healthcare, clean food plays a crucial role in human life. Food safety ensures a healthy body and guaranteed well-being. You will always feel reassured when using clean food sources for each meal. Conversely, dirty food, one of the causes of diseases and illnesses, leaves many consumers feeling anxious when consuming such types of food.
2. Types of Clean Food
Unpolluted Food
This type of food is cultivated and produced in standardized environments. The production process ensures that the final product meets the quality standards set by the state or meets the pollution-free food requirements of the industry. Additionally, unpolluted food is confirmed and certified by authorized agencies. State and industry mandatory standards include:
- Product standards
- Environmental standards
- Production material standards
Moreover, unpolluted food does not contain harmful pollutants. These include residues of pesticides, heavy metals, harmful microorganisms, or controlled substances below permissible limits. Thus, the food ensures no harm to consumers' health.
Eco-Friendly Food – Clean Food
Eco-friendly food, also known as green food, is produced in unpolluted environmental conditions. Simultaneously, it complies with regulations set by competent authorities. The food meets safety requirements, prescribed criteria, as well as standards for non-pollution, safety, and hygiene.
Organic Food
Organic food is a product line produced according to organic agricultural principles. It is manufactured and processed according to standardized procedures. Additionally, it is confirmed and certified by organic agriculture organizations.
3. Clean Food Evaluation Standards
VietGAP Standards
VietGAP is an advanced agricultural production practice method in Vietnam. Foods meeting VietGAP standards are often referred to as safe foods. In reality, VietGAP standards are based on 4 criteria:
- Production techniques meeting strict standards.
- Production environment not exploiting human labor.
- Product origin easily traceable.
- Ensure no bacterial or physical contamination chemicals during harvesting.
GlobalGap Standards
GlobalGap is a global advanced agricultural production practice method. With this standard, producers need to establish a food safety inspection and monitoring system. The system will span from farm cultivation preparation to harvesting, processing, and storage. Food meeting GlobalGap standards is often referred to as safe food. It is evaluated based on fundamental factors such as:
- Cultivation environment: soil, water, tools
- Use of medications and chemicals
- Packaging
- Working conditions and welfare of workers.
Organic Standards
Organic food is known as clean food. This food source is produced using organic farming methods. Organic standards specify very specific four words with one type of food to be recognized: no chemicals; no stimulants; no use of genetically modified organisms; no use of chemical fertilizers.
4. Pros and Cons of Clean Food
Advantages
- Clean food functions to provide all the necessary nutrients that humans need.
- Safe for human digestive system, environmental ecosystem
Disadvantages
- The price of clean food is relatively high compared to the types of food sold at markets, although the quality is much better. Due to the high price, many people cannot afford to use clean food regularly.
- Clean food is also more difficult to preserve because it spoils quickly as it is not preserved with harmful stimulants, suitable for daily meals.
5. Criteria for Choosing Clean Food
- When observing with the naked eye, you can somewhat determine whether the food you want to buy is guaranteed to be fresh and delicious. It must ensure factors for fresh vegetables, fruits without bruises or rot. Fresh raw meat, fish. Dried food without mold,...
- Quality products meeting safety standards must have intact packaging, with information on manufacturers, origin, packaging date, and expiry date.
- You should choose to purchase reputable brands to ensure quality.
- Typically, in supermarkets, convenience stores, and clean food stores, you will be assured of higher quality because they will ensure that the products they sell have clear origins and sources, and they will be responsible for the products they sell.
6. Some Clean Food Stores
Even though it's not easy to find a clean food store in the area, customers still feel skeptical about the quality of the products because they can't assess them with the naked eye. Therefore, some reputable clean food businesses below will help you feel confident in purchasing safe and high-quality products.
Seawolf
Established since 2013, the Seawolf store system now has 23 branches in Hanoi and is one of the trusted choices for clean food by many customers. To achieve the current success, Seawolf always adheres to 3 criteria for selecting products: Products from honest and dedicated suppliers; Raw material areas – production not polluted and meeting organic agriculture standards, safe; Products with clear origins and absolutely no selling of products of Chinese origin and 3 product standards: Organic product standard; GAP (safety) product standard and Regional specialties & Natural products.
Seawolf is one of the largest clean food business systems in the capital city
Uncle Shrimp
Uncle Shrimp clean food draws inspiration from the image of Uncle Shrimp, always sincere and kind, for everyone in the famous story 'Uncle Shrimp's Hut.' This is also the motto that this clean food store chain always pursues. Thus, projects on clean food, organic food are linked to farmers. This ensures both outlets for agricultural products and a safe food supply for community health.
Uncle Shrimp offers a variety of clean foods
Smart Eats
Smart Eats is honored to be a retail chain of clean food chosen by the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to support agricultural trade promotion, communication support, and assistance related to state management agencies. Clean food sources include pork raised for a minimum of 8 months under traditional procedures, chicken raised for a minimum of 6 months, vacuum-packed and refrigerated at temperatures not exceeding 2°C; clean vegetables aiming for organic vegetables (some seasonal vegetables have to be imported from Dalat, Moc Chau, Lao Cai, meeting VietGap/GlobalGap standards); seafood items, applying very scientific methods of fishing, transportation, and preservation: from catching to cleaning, freezing must be done within 4 hours, transported to Hanoi by air to shorten transportation time and ensure preservation conditions (as the temperature of the airplane luggage compartment is cold like outdoor temperature, seafood is not iced, avoiding absorption of fresh water).
CleverFood clean food stores have switched to using completely biodegradable environmentally friendly bags with a shared determination
To ensure health and the environment, each of us should be conscious and equip ourselves with knowledge about food. It's essential to seek out and purchase clean, traceable food sources. Don't compromise your family's health for a little savings. A delicious meal depends on how you choose nutrient-rich foods.
Clean food is sourced from farming practices that may still use chemical inputs like pesticides, synthetic chemicals. However, these chemicals are used following proper procedures so that the products entering the market have only trace amounts of toxins below permissible levels, posing no harm to consumers. That's why they're called 'safe' products. In this era of hard-to-control contaminated food, be a smart consumer to choose the best food products for your family!
>> Nutritional tower for diabetes patients
>> What is synthetic vitamin? Who should use it and how?
>> Tips for choosing and using beauty-enhancing multivitamin tablets
