Be careful when buying food on social networks

Compared to before, since the emergence of social networks, people's access to information has become more convenient and easier. Thanks to the widespread and popular coverage of social networks, many people have switched to selling products online and in fact, many online shops have higher incomes than stores with physical premises. Not only fresh food, but now, processed food products or cooked foods are increasingly appearing on social networks. Just hold your phone in your hand, type in the things you need to buy in groups and groups and you will immediately have hundreds of comments from sellers. From fresh vegetables, tubers, fruits to meat, fish, seafood or additives to processed foods, such as: Rice, pho, hot pot... along with countless attractive dishes with the condition of "delivery" to your door.

In addition, on social networking platforms, many individuals and groups specializing in the business of frozen foods, such as: Pork, beef, chicken, seafood, fish balls... are active. Some prominent groups, such as: "Frozen food warehouse", "Frozen wholesale market", "Frozen pork"... have bustling transactions every day. Products on Facebook and TikTok are advertised at quite cheap prices, suitable for general consumer needs. Specifically, whole salted chicken, chicken wings, bagged young chicken eggs, ribs, pork belly...

However, in reality, most personal social networking sites are not registered for business and do not have documents proving the quality and origin of the food. Processed foods sold online have almost no information about expiration dates, ingredients, or origin of raw materials. The owners of food websites only verbally commit to quality and buying food online is mostly based on trust.

Seeing on a Facebook account that raisins were selling, they looked delicious, had eye-catching pictures, and were cheap, especially when buying 5kg, you get 1kg for free and free shipping, so Ms. Nguyen Thi Quynh Nhu (Long Xuyen City) placed an order. However, when receiving the goods, Ms. Nhu was disappointed because the raisins were small and had white and green mold, not shiny yellow as advertised. Ms. Nhu contacted the Facebook account that bought the raisins, but no one answered the phone; texting also did not get a response, so she had to throw away a few kilos of raisins. "It's better to lose money than to eat and get sick. From now on, when buying these types of dried foods, I will go directly to the market or supermarket to choose delicious, quality ones" - Ms. Nhu shared.

Similarly, Ms. Tran Thi Kim Xuan (Phu Tan district) ordered 2kg of dried squid, 3 pieces/kg, on Facebook. But when she received the goods and opened them, she was shocked to see that the dried squid was only the size of a hand. She called the store and the owner apologized and said that due to many orders, the wrong type of squid was sent and suggested that she send it back to exchange for a larger type of squid. To date, Ms. Xuan has sent the goods for more than a week but the store owner has not yet sent the goods back to her.

Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy (student of An Giang University) shared: “I really like online shopping because it is convenient and quick. The snacks sold online are also attractive, so I often look for them and order them to be delivered to my house. Not long ago, I ordered a box of dried chicken with lemon leaves on TikTok, but when I opened the package, I was shocked. The dried chicken was moldy, had a bad smell, and there was hair in it, completely different from the eye-catching and attractive image of the dried chicken advertised on the website. After that, I did not buy processed foods online anymore.”

Ms. Le Thi My Loan (Long Xuyen City) said that she often buys food on snack websites. The food on this website is introduced with attractive words, is often "homemade", no preservatives, and can be consumed within the day. Having tried it and found it quite delicious, Ms. Loan trusted and regularly ordered. That time, she ordered more than 5 portions of sweet soup for her family to enjoy. After receiving the goods, Ms. Loan felt disappointed when she saw that the sweet soup was not as advertised online, the color of the sweet soup was not natural, and most afraid was that the coconut milk was spoiled and had a sour smell, so she had to throw it away. Ms. Loan texted the sweet soup website to complain about the quality, but did not receive a response from the seller.

Given the current general trend, no one says that buying and selling food products online is completely unsafe because there are still many reputable establishments that pay much attention to quality factors. However, to ensure the health safety of themselves and their loved ones, consumers should consider when using foods sold on social networks of unknown origin, especially instant foods. Hopefully, consumers will be equipped with the necessary knowledge to choose safe, reputable foods that are both convenient and safe for their health.

THANH THANH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/can-trong-khi-mua-thuc-pham-tren-mang-xa-hoi-a421561.html