Beijing is an exciting city! Stay updated with our weekend summary of the latest news.
City Reaffirms Ban on "Fresh Lights"
The Beijing Municipal Market Supervision Administration has recently released the “Reminders and Warnings on the Strict Prohibition of the Use of ‘Fresh Lights’” (《关于严禁使用“生鲜灯”的提醒告诫书》) to all food market operators to regulate the fresh food sales sector and safeguard consumer rights. The Reminders explicitly forbid the use of lighting in commercial spaces that can impair customers' abilities to accurately judge the quality of food products based on their senses.
The so-called “fresh lights” or “fresh lamps” (生鲜灯) comprise deceptive lighting practices that modify the color or color temperature of lighting or employ other techniques to create the false impression of freshness in products, misleading consumers during purchases. While “fresh lights” are already banned, some establishments in the fresh food sector continue to use these illicit lighting practices.
Consequently, authorities have issued these reminders:
- Fresh food sales or display areas must utilize white lighting devices.
- It is strictly forbidden to buy or use lighting labeled with phrases like "fresh light," "red color," or "beauty," which alter the true sensory qualities of fresh products.
- The use of colored light sources such as red, green, blue, and yellow, along with variable and adjustable light sources that change color temperature and color is strictly prohibited.
- Adding or using colored lampshades, plastic bags, films, and cellophane to lighting is not allowed, as is altering the light source's color.
- Large colored enclosures or background boards within fresh product displays, such as bright red walls in meat sections, are strictly prohibited.
- The placement of colored or variable light sources in refrigeration (freezer) cabinets and display cases is banned.
- Those handling cooked foods, pastries, and cold vegetables are strongly advised not to use lighting that misrepresents the actual sensory attributes of food, in line with the regulations mentioned above.
Operators found violating the “Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Quality and Safety in the Market Sales of Edible Agricultural Products” (《食用农产品市场销售质量安全监督管理办法》) will be required to rectify the issue and may receive a warning at or above the county level. Non-compliance will result in fines ranging from RMB 5,000 to RMB 30,000.
Market regulation authorities are increasing inspection efforts regarding this matter, and consumers are encouraged to remain vigilant about the environments in which they purchase fresh goods.
Pets Can Now Travel Independently with New Train Service
Following a successful trial, China Railway Express has launched its “Pet Travel” (爱宠行) service, offering two types of pet transport: Accompanied Pet Travel (携宠出行) and Solo Pet Travel (爱宠单独行).
This Pet Travel service is primarily designed for healthy domesticated cats and dogs with the following dimensions:
- Weight: ≤ 15kg
- Shoulder Height: ≤ 40cm
- Length: ≤ 52cm
The service is not suitable for aggressive, ill, pregnant, or very young pets.
Accompanied Pet Travel (携宠出行)
This service is intended for train passengers who purchase tickets. They can utilize the Pet Transport (宠物托运) function on the Railway 12306 (铁路12306) mini program to check for available tickets and pet transport spots. Trains that allow pet transport are indicated with the character “宠.” Passengers can buy tickets online and book pet transport services for the same train. Spaces for the next day can be booked by noon each day, while those for the day after can be reserved from noon onward. Each passenger is allowed to bring up to two eligible pets on the same train.
Solo Pet Travel (爱宠单独行)
This service caters to passengers who do not have tickets. Customers can secure a spot for their pet by submitting necessary pet information and photos via the “China Railway Express” (中铁快运) WeChat mini program between two to five days before the check-in date. Customers are limited to one pet per journey. Once a reservation is confirmed, customers must bring their pet, identification, a valid animal quarantine certificate, and a pet carrier to the China Railway Express Business Department at the departure high-speed railway station to complete shipping procedures. After the train arrives at the destination, customers can retrieve their pet upon receiving a notification text message from China Railway Express.
During travel, pets remain in the transport container, housed in a separate compartment of the high-speed rail express, thus preventing any issues related to pet hair, odors, or noise from affecting the train's passenger area.
To enhance service quality, China Railway Express has improved the pet transport containers, which now include built-in air circulation, monitoring of oxygen levels, temperature, and humidity, as well as noise reduction, deodorization functions,
Beijing is an exciting city! Stay up-to-date with our weekend summary of the most recent news.