Emily Chan
When oranges are not sold loose on the shelves, they usually come in red mesh bags. You may have never thought twice about the fruit’s packaging since it seems so plain. But, it has a greater impact on human psychology than you ever could have realized.
The reason behind the strange red netting is to make oranges look more appealing, which makes customers want to purchase the product. Basically, it’s a marketing tactic used by supermarkets and food producers.
The color orange stands out more when paired with red. It helps give the impression that the oranges are richer in color. Therefore, your brain will assume they are fresher, juicer, and higher quality.
Plus, if the fruit is unripe, the red mesh packaging downplays its greenness. When you get home, you might be surprised to find that your oranges are an unattractive shade of green.
It’s also why similarly colored fruits like tangerines and grapefruit are sold in red bags. In addition, lemons are often put in green bags to make the yellow hue pop. If lemons were also sold in red bags, it would cause the fruit to look somewhat like oranges, and they wouldn’t be as enticing to shoppers.
The principle is based on the confetti illusion, a perceptual phenomenon in which objects seem to take on the color of a surrounding pattern.
In this optical illusion, a shape of a neutral color is placed within a grid of lines that are of multiple colors. The illusion works best with three colors, but more can be added. The stripes in the foreground make the color of the shape seem to blend in with the colors of the lines.
In a new study led by a psychologist named Karl R. Gegenfurtner from Giessen University in Germany, the authors further explain how the red mesh packaging of oranges at the supermarket utilizes the confetti illusion.
According to the study, Gegenfurtner buys juicy oranges every Saturday from his favorite fruit seller at the local market. On a more recent day, he went to purchase some oranges but found that she did not have any ripe oranges in stock.
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