Reported by (Intern reporter Wen Yueting and intern Ma Xinyue) Merchants are not allowed to use "fresh food lights" when selling edible agricultural products. This ban has been implemented for nearly a year. Have all "fresh food lights" in the market been removed? Is there still a situation where 'when the light is on, the meat is fresher'? The reporter visited agricultural markets, supermarkets, and other places to investigate this matter.
It is reported that in the past, lighting fixtures used to enhance the color and brightness of agricultural products were called "fresh food lamps". In fact, they were incandescent lamps with colored covers. Through light reflection, colored light sources such as red and purple light added a "beauty filter" to agricultural products. However, it is common for consumers to find that fruits and meat are not fresh after buying them at home, especially when "fresh food lamps" are commonly used for meat, which seriously damages the interests of consumers. On December 1, 2023, the country began to implement the "Measures for the Supervision and Management of Quality and Safety in the Sales of Edible Agricultural Products in the Market", which clearly states in Article 7: "When selling fresh edible agricultural products, it is not allowed to use lighting or other facilities that cause significant changes in the sensory characteristics of edible agricultural products, such as color, to mislead consumers' sensory perception of the products." This regulation makes the quality of agricultural products in the market clear at a glance, and consumers can also reduce the misleading caused by lighting.
On the morning of November 25th, the reporter randomly visited several fresh food supermarkets, beef and mutton wholesale and retail stores, and farmers' markets located on Xinghai Road. It was found that ordinary lighting fixtures are now used in the market, and the "fresh food lights" that used to be mainly colored light sources such as red light, purple light, and pink light have basically disappeared. We feel more at ease when buying meat, no longer afraid of buying stale meat. "At the farmer's market, Ms. Su, a citizen, is preparing to buy ingredients. She said that in the past, when she bought meat at the stall, the color of the meat turned red under the light, but when she bought it home, she found that the color of the meat had changed and was not what she saw at the stall. Now, the lighting colors of the lamps in the market are normal, which is easier for consumers to recognize and buy meat with more peace of mind. The owner of a meat stall also stated that with the increasing consumer awareness among citizens, food quality is fundamental, and meat consumers who have added a "beauty filter" are simply not buying it. Our meat products are all very fresh and have a delicious color even without using a 'fresh light', "said the boss.
The staff of the Market Supervision Bureau of Chengxi District stated that since the introduction of the new national regulations, 12 agricultural markets and fresh supermarkets in Chengxi District have basically removed their lights, and law enforcement officers continue to replace scattered shops in the back streets and alleys. During the law enforcement process, as long as there is a difference in color between the lights and natural light, merchants will be asked to remove their lights. If the merchant fails to rectify, administrative penalties will be imposed, and a list of dishonest merchants will be published on the red and black list of the agricultural market. When mentioning the difference between cool and warm colors in LED lights currently available in the market, the staff explained that taking the "fresh meat light" as an example, red light will make the meat more vibrant, while yellow warm light will not greatly affect its senses. Therefore, as long as the color of agricultural products is normal, it does not violate relevant regulations.