Evaluation of food safety on traditional Chinese snacks based on system safety theory: The case study of Wuhan hot-dry noodles

Wuhan hot-dry noodles, as one of the traditional Chinese snacks, have been famous in most parts of China for nearly 100 years. Its characteristic, taste, and quick cooking method cater to the needs of many people. However, food safety has become an essential obstacle in developing Wuhan hot-dry noodles. The present work developed evaluation indicators, and selected an entropy method to analyse the food safety problems of Wuhan hot-dry noodles based on the system safety theory. Results showed that the score was 2.59 over 5.00, which meant the performance was below average. This could have been due to poor perception of employees on food safety, primary enterprise management, and less effective and authoritative standards within the industry. Based on the system theory, the present work suggested engineering, education, and enforcement, namely the "3E principle”, to solve the above problems. The key to the "3E principle” is to focus on identifying, controlling, and evaluating hazards around the most critical issues, and solving them in order of importance and urgency. The "3E principle” also emphasises circular processing for better food safety.