Wrap in Red

Ever wonder why the sliced papaya we buy from the fruit stalls are usually wrapped in red plastic bag instead of transparent plastic?


My burning curiosity had led me into scorching through the websites for answer, but the initial Google search had come up with some irrelevant results  until I tried searching with Malay keywords instead.

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=1998&dt=0421&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Rencana&pg=ot_05.htm

To summarise the above Malay article and answer to my own question, the red plastic bag is used by most fruit sellers to make the papaya aesthetically more attractive to the consumer. Since the plastic beg is red in colour, it can also hide the dull orange/red colours of papayas which are yet to ripe.

Hence, it is true to say that the red plastic bag is used as a tactic to get more business rather than for any health benefits.