(Yicai) Sept. 22 -- Meals prepared on-site in school cafeterias in China do not necessarily guarantee food safety any more than prepared food, according to the chief scientist of the innovation team of the Institute of Food Science and Technology of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Prepared food is more likely to ensure food safety if a company operates in good practice and implements strict quality control, Zhang Chunhui told Yicai. Ready-made dishes for schools are mainly fresh sterilized vegetables and half-cooked meals, which are more advantageous in terms of cost control, quality, and standardized processing of food ingredients, he added.

The prepared food business was very profitable for catering companies during the Covid-19 pandemic. China’s pre-made food industry widened 21 percent to CNY419.6 billion (USD57.4 billion) last year from the previous one, and it is expected to more than double to CNY1 trillion (USD150.5 billion) by 2026, according to a report by consultancy firm iiMedia Research.

Using the liquid nitrogen quick-freezing technology can preserve nutrients in food without using additives and chemicals, with their trophic level remaining the same as that of on-site prepared food, a manager at a large catering firm told Yicai. But vegetables taste better when made on-site, the person admitted.

More prepared food will come to campus, said Zhu Danpeng, a food industry analyst.

The problem with prepared food is that there are no unified national standards, Zhu noted, adding that food safety hazards can happen without regulations on the quality control system. Moreover, consumers are reluctant to recognize and accept pre-made food.

China has not yet introduced related standards, but a national department has begun to pay attention to the prepared food industry.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs proposed earlier this year to expand and strengthen the processing and distribution of agricultural products, cultivate and develop the prepared food industry, and improve the standardization and normalization of fresh sterilized vegetables, central kitchens, and others.

Editor: Futura Costaglione