Clever reason why oranges are always sold in red nets

Supermarkets are full of little tricks for making their products more appealing and, ultimately, for getting you to spend a little more money.

You’ve likely heard of a few of these tactics, such as stacking shelves so the expensive items are at eye level while the cheaper ones requiring some stooping or reaching to pick up. The stuff that’s most attractive to kids is usually placed lower down too so they can spot it and nag you to add it to your trolley.

That particular supermarket smell is another trick of the trade, with the aroma pumped through the air circulation systems to provide a more comfortable, market-like vibe that gets you in the mood for fresh grub.

Are they as orange as they seem? (Kinga Krzeminska/Getty Images)

They certainly don’t stop there, and there’s one trick that’s particularly cunning and relies on a illusory phenomenon.

The Munker illusion was discovered by researcher Franz Carl Munker in the 70s, and it essentially boils down to how certain colours can make others more vibrant. In other words, our perception of one colour is impacted by the colours around it.

Posting to TikTok in Spanish, food tech expert Miguel Lurueña asked: "Have you noticed that oranges are always sold in red mesh bags? It's no coincidence."

You might have guessed why. Essentially, the red netting makes the orange’s orange hue look more vibrant and gives the impression that they’re bursting with flavour and nutrients.

In the TikTok video, Lurueña uses an image of his own creation as an example. The image shows a few different oranges with different colour lines laid over the top.

"The fruit in the middle seems much more orange than the other two due to the red lines passing over it,” he explained.

“However, the colour of all three fruits is exactly the same.”

Is it just me or do these oranges look pretty washed out? (Westend61/Getty Images)

Oranges aren’t the only supermarket staple where this effect is applied. Lurueña noted that lemons, avocados, peppers, purple garlic and often have respective packaging colours to liven-up their own pigmentation.

"So don't trust your senses," Lurueña added. "Read labels carefully and try to buy fruits and vegetables in bulk to avoid surprises.”

As Ben Kenobi once said: “Your eyes can deceive you. Don’t trust them!” The Jedi Master presumably never fell for such tricks at his local Sainsbury’s.

Topics: Health, Diet, Social Media, TikTok, News