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https://scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3021494/chinese-region-bans-self-heating-meals-trains-over-smoke-alarm People & Culture
Chinese region bans self-heating meals on trains over smoke alarm fears
- Checks are to be carried out at stations in Guangxi from October
- Passengers caught in possession of the meals risk a fine of at least US$70
Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region is banning meals heated using lime powder. Photo: 163.com
A region in southern China is banning self-heating ready-meals on trains in case they set off smoke detectors, according to Chinese media reports.
Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region’s rail safety regulations will prohibit the meals from October, making it the first region or province in the country to target the products specifically.
The meals contain packets of self-heating lime powder that, when water is added, boil the food in three minutes.
Those caught breaking the rule will be fined 500 to 2,000 yuan (US$70-290), Beijing Youth Daily reported.
An unnamed staff member at a railway station in the region was quoted as saying the rule would apply to passengers boarding trains departing from Guangxi. Checks would be carried out at stations, the report said.
Fujian and Sichuan provinces had previously introduced rules on items that could trigger smoke sensors, but had not singled out the self-heating meals.
There is no national regulation on the meals, popular among rail travellers, but China State Railway Group – Chinese rail operators’ state-owned parent company – said on social media app WeChat in June that it advised against their use on trains in case accidents occurred.
The latest regulations in Guangxi also ban low-flying objects such as drones, kites, balloons and lanterns within 500 metres (1,640 feet) of rail lines.
In January, police were called to a train travelling from Xiamen in southeastern China to Kunming in the southwest after a passenger set off a smoke alarm by misusing a self-heating meal, Xiamen Daily reported.
The man, who was told off by police officers, said he had not consumed one of the meals before and had mistakenly opened the packet of lime powder and added its contents along with water, filling a carriage with smoke. No one was hurt.
On Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter, some people supported the new rule, while others complained about the high price of food sold on trains.
“First, lower the price of fast food on trains,” one comment read. “It is not wrong to ensure the safety of the train, but please also reflect on why passengers want to bring their own food.”