Grocery Store Lighting for the Produce Section

Any type of public business needs to pay attention to their lighting to ensure a successful outcome. When it comes to grocery store lighting, there is no denying the importance of highlighting items in an appealing manner by way of proper illumination. One area in particular that is crucial in terms of installing the right lighting solutions is the produce section. When looking at lighting for the produce section, there are four main aspects you need to consider.

Color Temperature

One of the most important elements of lighting for the produce section is to choose the right color temperature. The color temperature of a light fixture can be seen in terms of whether the light output is more yellow (warm) or more on the blue-white (cool) side of the spectrum. When considering this important element, you want to stay away from warmer options because a cooler output will let the colors of the produce show through more easily instead of being washed out by a warmer color. The goal of lighting in this area is to help make the produce look appealing and of high standards so choose a color temperature ranging from 4000k to 4500k for a light that is white but not too blue to where it adds a tinged look to produce.

Color Rendering

Another important aspect regarding color in lighting for the produce section is the color rendering. While temperature is the output of the light on a spectrum, color rendering is how well a light picks up or highlights different colored objects. This is crucial to successful lighting for a produce area where the color of objects can range from greens and purples to oranges and reds. With a low color rendering index (CRI), the lighting fixture won’t be able to pick up as many colors or the difference between them which can make produce look less than appealing. Most shoppers choose their produce based on the vibrancy of color of the fruit or vegetables as an indicator of freshness and quality. Without a high enough color rendering index, you run the risk of making fruits and vegetables look less appealing to shoppers. A good rule of thumb is to opt for a CRI of at least 80+ as a low choice with a CRI of around 90+ being a higher performing solution for this area.

Low Heat Emitting

Another aspect of lighting that is unique to this type of area is the matter of heat production during operation. While most lighting solutions will naturally lose some energy to heat, there are certain lamp types where this problem is more prevalent. For example, incandescent and halogen bulbs can produce high levels of heat which can be an issue for any area storing perishable food items. A better bet is to opt for LED for a no heat option or compact fluorescent for a low heat emitting option.