Comprehensive ban on using fresh lights: to be enforced starting from 1st, December

The special light source hanging in the stalls is also known as the “freshness lamp”. By adjusting the color, brightness, and color temperature of the lighting, it makes the ingredients appear fresher and more glossy. It is often seen in agricultural markets, supermarkets, and other consumer places. The “freshness lamp” has received widespread criticism from the public as it alters the true appearance of the ingredients and misleads consumers in their selection.

The “Food Safety Supervision and Management Measures for the Sale of Edible Agricultural Products” issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation on 1st, December next month will officially come into effect. This means that the use of fresh produce lights commonly seen in our daily lives at farmers’ markets will be prohibited.

The “Measures for the Supervision and Management of Sales Quality and Safety of Edible Agricultural Products Market” stipulates that when selling fresh edible agricultural products, the use of lighting facilities or other means that result in significant changes to the true color and other sensory properties of the products is not allowed to mislead consumers’ perception of the goods. However, many law enforcement departments currently lack relevant national standards to determine the values of light sources, and instead rely on subjective judgment when carrying out enforcement measures.

“The market authorities have been notifying merchants to timely replace the ‘fresh meat lamps’ since August. Many old merchants initially found it difficult to accept,” said Zhang Changqing, the person in charge of Shensong Market. The main contradiction lies in the fact that merchants believe that the quality of the meat is excellent and that using a “beautification lamp” is not illegal or against the rules. If consumers find any issues with the meat after purchasing it, they are willing to offer exchanges or refunds at any time. It has been over two years since Shensong Market reopened after renovation, and there have been no cases of consumers confronting merchants over differences in meat color.”

To encourage old merchants to replace the “freshness lamp”, Shen Song Market has introduced a set of standardized lighting fixtures – a strip of lights with four LED white lights, provided free of charge to merchants in need. “Two years ago, when the market completed the renovation, this standardized lighting fixture was adopted. Some merchants didn’t like it and bought and installed their own, so there are still some in the warehouse.”

LISUN engineers have also discussed this with several experts and teachers from other quality inspection institutes. Currently, some provinces have formulated “Technical Specifications for Light Sources and Lamps for Lighting Edible Agricultural Products” to provide enforcement basis for the local market supervision bureau. LISUN engineers summarized the main quantifiable values for color temperature, general color rendering index, special color rendering index R9, color saturation, and color fidelity. This provides a direction for future research and production. Regarding the testing solution:
LISUN LPCE-2 Integrating Sphere Spectroradiometer LED Testing System is for single LEDs and LED lighting products light measurement. LED’s quality should be tested by checking its photometric, colorimetric and electrical parameters. According to CIE 177, CIE84,  CIE-13.3, IES LM-79-19, Optical-Engineering-49-3-033602, COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION (EU) 2019/2015, IESNA LM-63-2, IES-LM-80 and ANSI-C78.377, it recommends to using an array spectroradiometer with an integrating sphere to test SSL products. The LPCE-2 system is applied with LMS-9000C High Precision CCD Spectroradiometer or LMS-9500C Scientific Grade CCD Spectroradiometer, and a-molding integrating sphere with holder base. This sphere is more round and the test result is more accruate than the traditional integrating sphere.

We have specifically checked the promotional pictures of fresh produce lamps on various e-commerce platforms. They all claim to comply with the new regulations. This has misled us consumers to some extent. We suggest that production companies upgrade the old integrating sphere spectroradiometer system through suppliers as soon as possible to meet the new testing standards and fulfill testing requirements.

However, there are still fresh food lamps advertised on e-commerce platforms claiming to be compliant with the new national standard and the regulations set by the Market Supervision Bureau. When searching for “fresh food lamp” on e-commerce platforms, numerous “new national standard lamps” appear. These lamps boast of being “full spectrum,” “high color rendering,” and “meeting the lighting requirements of the General Administration of Market Supervision,” promising to make food “fresher and more authentic.” Welcome to contact LISUN for professional test solution to promote the production line.

Tags：LPCE-2 (LMS-9000)