From July 20 to 25, a doctoral team from Huazhong Agricultural University's College of Food Science & Technology conducted a "Food Safety and Nutrition China Tour" in Hongshan district, Wuhan. The students led practical activities focused on promoting vegetable preservation techniques and assisting with market sales.

At the Nanhu Fresh Market, the students distributed a pocket-sized vegetable preservation manual, which quickly became popular with vendors. They provided simple, hands-on demonstrations of various methods, such as using wet cloths to cover vegetables, baking soda for antibacterial properties, and moistening roots.

In a supermarket, the team set up a food preservation science station. Using interactive games with vegetable puppets, they vividly explained how to properly store produce at home, debunking common myths like "plastic wrap is a cure-all" and "all vegetables belong in the fridge". A market regulator praised the initiative, noting that the university had "brought the lab into the supermarket", turning complex professional terms into everyday language and creating a "Wuhan model" for shared food safety governance.

The team also engaged with senior citizens in the Jinggang subdistrict, sharing a real-life case of food poisoning to highlight the importance of proper food storage. They demonstrated simple, "zero-threshold" techniques like using a water bottle to create an ice pack. As one senior commented, "I learned that a refrigerator isn't a safe, it's about knowing how to preserve!"

The project leader stated that the team will continue to serve as a bridge between academia and communities, making technology more accessible to the public and injecting the HZAU spirit into improving urban food security.

A team member explain to visitors how to properly store produce at home in a supermarket. [Photo/news.hzau.edu.cn]