The price difference of vegetables with random labels is ten times that of human eyes.

"Organic vegetables", "high-quality vegetables", "healthy vegetables", "pollution-free vegetables", "green vegetables". Nowadays, anyone who buys vegetables will face so many labels that there is a price difference of several times or even ten times between different labels.

Consumers say, with so many vegetables, which one should I buy? People in the industry say that the price and quality of vegetables are not necessarily equal. To some extent, the asymmetry of information between the two sides has led to the extreme price in the vegetable market. For the sake of safety and delicacy, different consumers begin to find their own channels to buy vegetables, and the market for customized vegetables has formed a scale.

The purchase of customized vegetables belongs to consumers' free choice. in the view of experts and industry insiders, cheap vegetables are still safe and reliable, and behind the polarization of vegetable market prices, there is an urgent need to further improve the social integrity system. "this is the profound cause of the problem."

It is "difficult" to buy vegetables

It's not hard to buy food. It's hard to choose. The reporter visited a number of supermarkets and meat markets in Guangzhou for many days and found that vegetable stalls in meat markets around Guangzhou are the first choice for most neighborhoods to buy vegetables, and the main reason for becoming the first choice is that the price is cheap.

Xu, the vegetable stall owner of a meat market on Huifu West Road in Yuexiu District, told reporters that at the beginning of every day, many neighborhoods come to buy vegetables very early. "if they come only at eight or nine o'clock in the morning, they may all be left over by others."

The reporter visited and found that most of the vegetable stalls in the meat market hidden in the streets and alleys do not have much difference in the prices of vegetables sold. For neighbors, buying vegetables in the meat market does not need to make too many comparisons, but only needs to do a good job of "math problems."

In several large supermarkets in Guangzhou, vegetables in major supermarkets are also very popular. In terms of packaging, the supermarket has relatively more investment. After selection, many green vegetables will be packaged with cling film or plastic chassis.

The pricing of some vegetables is confusing and there is no choice. At present, many supermarkets sell different grades of vegetables, including "organic vegetables", "quality vegetables", "healthy vegetables", "pollution-free vegetables", "green vegetables" and so on. Some of these vegetables also emphasize the concepts of "green planting" and "healthy planting".

"there are so many names, and the prices are very different, I really don't know how to choose. It seems that all of them are healthy, so I'll choose the cheaper one in the end." An aunt who was shopping in the supermarket told the reporter.

In fact, the reporter observed that there are many consumers who are as confused as this aunt, and most people do not understand the difference between the names of these vegetables.

Vegetables are divided into four levels.

In fact, the public data of the competent authorities show that at present, there are mainly three levels of vegetable certification in China, namely, organic certification, green certification and pollution-free certification. In other words, there are actually four vegetable registrations certified by the competent authorities.

Among them, the "highest grade" is organic vegetables, and the concept of organic means that the completely natural mode of production is adopted, the ecological environment of vegetables is not polluted, and chemicals such as pesticides and chemical fertilizer production regulators are not used in the production process. No genetic engineering technology is used.

Wen / Guangzhou Daily reporter Yi Chang

Intern he Zhirong

Photo / Guangzhou Daily reporter Su Junjie

"to put it simply, there are no pesticide residues in organic vegetables, and the quality of water and soil is guaranteed." Mr. Qiu, who has been in charge of organic vegetable cultivation at Huiyang Farm in Huadu District of Guangzhou City, said.

The second grade is green vegetables, which belong to a category of green food, which mainly requires planting in a pollution-free ecological environment, while strictly controlling the content of pesticides. Zhu Wen said, "simply put, green vegetables use pesticides." but there are strict controls and corresponding standards. "

The third grade is pollution-free vegetables, and the definition of pollution-free vegetables is relatively loose, mainly to limit the content of pesticides in vegetables, strictly controlled within the scope permitted by the state. "but pollution-free vegetables are still different from ordinary vegetables." it needs to be certified by official agencies. "

The reporter visited several large supermarkets in Guangzhou and found that there are not many supermarkets selling three grades of vegetables at the same time. A salesperson at a supermarket in Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, told the reporter that more citizens still choose low-priced vegetables. "We tried to sell organic vegetables, but the market was not good, and then we bought for the price."

The price difference is ten times at most.

In addition to the above three kinds of vegetables certified by the relevant state departments, there are a variety of vegetable labels in the market. on the one hand, these labels confuse audio-visual to some extent, but on the other hand, they form a competitive market. promote the survival of the fittest in the vegetable market.

On a certain day in December, the reporter visited a supermarket in Guangzhou. on that day, lettuce was 2.98 yuan per jin and cabbage heart 4.98 yuan per jin, which was basically similar to the price of the surrounding vegetable market. The highest prices are generally organic vegetables, such as a brand of organic cabbage sold for 27.6 yuan per jin, organic cabbage heart sold for 21.5 yuan per jin.

In addition to the prices of the above three certified vegetables are decreasing in turn, there are not many pricing rules for vegetables on other labels. A brand of soilless vegetables costs 8.8 yuan a pack, and a pack of about 350g, or 12.5 yuan per jin, is twice the price of the vegetable market.

Some brands are more expensive than organic vegetables, such as "Le ×" brand lettuce sells for 33.6 yuan per jin, which is about 10 times different from the price visited by reporters before, and there is no relevant certification label on its packaging.

Among these tags, most of the keywords are "healthy", "harmless", "zero pesticide" and so on. The prices are different and the directions of advertising slogans are also different.

In the view of an industry insider who spoke on condition of anonymity, at present, some businesses with labels are "playing the edge ball of certification, which is to make consumers feel that this is also a certified vegetable like organic, green, and pollution-free vegetables. Now the information is asymmetrical and consumers do not know how to choose. In fact, it disturbs the market."

It's not safe if it's cheap?

A number of vegetable growers have expressed concern about ordinary vegetables. In their view, ordinary vegetables are not as strict as organic vegetables or green vegetables. "the market is regular. If it is hot now, it will increase fertilization in advance. Let the vegetables grow faster, and then sell them all during the peak season." One person said so.

The reporter learned that at present, agricultural authorities in various districts in Guangzhou have conducted irregular spot checks on ordinary vegetables, and no major incidents of vegetable poisoning have been found in recent years.

However, the reporter found in the field interview, there are vegetable farmers frank, in response to peak season demand will increase fertilization, "this is a very normal thing." As for the spot check, the vegetable farmer also said that he seldom encountered the spot check. "the probability of getting it is very small, and sometimes I don't know if there is any residue or how much."

However, Chen Riyuan, a professor at South China Agricultural University and director of the Southern vegetable Physiology Research Center, said in an interview that in fact, even uncertified ordinary vegetables are grown in accordance with pollution-free standards. it's just that the frequency of sampling inspection is not as high as certified vegetables, "but now the supervision of all aspects is very strict, I believe there is no problem. We have never seen any food safety accidents involving vegetables. "

A farmer in Renhe Town, Baiyun District, told reporters that the so-called "retail investors" who grow vegetables also have to go through random checks by the relevant departments. "if something goes wrong, the punishment is not small, and they will not take this risk."

There are many concepts of merchants.

Even if ordinary vegetables are safe, if a consumer wants to buy branded vegetables, he will also face confusion in front of a wide variety of vegetable packaging.

"except for organic vegetables, green vegetables and pollution-free vegetables, the rest are all ordinary vegetables in theory." Chen Riyuan said: at present, all kinds of "healthy vegetables,"original vegetables," and "high-quality vegetables" in China are actually concepts played by businessmen and pure commercial actions. these vegetables have not been certified by relevant state departments or third parties, and to some extent, they are also advertisements.

In Chen Riyuan's view, there is nothing wrong with businesses conducting commercial advertisements, but some consumers are worried about pesticide residues. Chen Riyuan said that it is normal to have pesticide residues. If a small amount of pesticide is metabolized by the human body, it will not cause harm to the human body. In the use of pesticides, "first, highly toxic and banned pesticides cannot be used; second, for conventional low-toxic pesticides, vegetables should have an interval and meet the standards."

According to Zhao Pei, the person in charge of Huiyang Farm, there are already some consumer groups that need organic vegetables and green vegetables. "for example, some users of organic vegetables are generally characterized by white-collar workers and have a higher income. These people have higher requirements for their own lives and are willing to pay high prices for organic vegetables. Nowadays, more and more people like this."

Chen Riyuan believes that at present, at the sales end, there is indeed a need for clear management to guide consumers, but the advertising behavior of merchants is not illegal, and there is no problem that consumers are willing to pay for it.

Where is the real "organic food" expensive?

First, it is expensive to raise land. "Organic farms first have very strict requirements on water and soil, and they need a conversion period, usually two years, before the vegetables planted can be used as organic vegetables." Zhu Wen said.

Second, the labor cost is high. "the farm has about 300 people, and the cost is conservatively estimated at 1.2 million." Zhu Wen said. Zhao Pei said, "our planting technical team has been engaged in organic cultivation for many years, and although the sales volume is stable, it is still not profitable."

Third, the logistics cost is high. "Logistics costs account for 20% of the total cost." Mr Zhu said his farm had a turnover of about 120 million last year and a profit of about 10 per cent. Zhao Peisuo's farm has also developed a set of agricultural information management system, in which vegetables are picked and entered into the system for distribution. "some subscribers live far away, or scattered, resulting in rising natural costs."