Increase in Grocery Sales Claiming COVID Treatment Effects in China After Eased Quarantine
Lemon Prices Double... Experts Say "No Efficacy in Folk Remedies"
[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Recently, in China, where quarantine measures have been relaxed, there has been an increase in the sale of groceries believed to be effective in treating COVID-19. Popular items include canned yellow peaches, a traditional folk remedy for colds, as well as lemons.
According to the local media Hongxing News on the 18th, lemons are currently selling well on online commerce platforms. Offline fruit stores have also seen a rise in lemon sales, leading to frequent out-of-stock notices.
Online fresh food company Dingdong Maichai stated, "Lemons in several areas of Chengdu and some parts of Shanghai have all sold out, and we are waiting for new stock," adding, "It is difficult to secure supply, so it will take 2 to 3 days." L? Guang, a fruit vendor at the Beijing Shuangyu Agricultural Wholesale Market, told the media, "Recently, the number of lemon buyers has increased sharply, and the remaining stock is being quickly depleted."
Lemon prices have also been rising accordingly. L? Guang said, "The price per kilogram, which was 2.5 yuan (about 470 won), has doubled in a few days to 4 to 5 yuan (about 750 to 940 won)." Liu Hongguo, a lemon farmer in Anwei, Sichuan Province, also reported, "Daily shipments have increased more than tenfold, and prices have risen by 50%."
The popularity of lemons began after rumors spread that they are effective in treating COVID-19. According to the media, local quarantine authorities recommended drinking plenty of water containing electrolytes as a COVID-19 treatment method. Furthermore, Ning Guang, director of Ruijin Hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, advised, "Asymptomatic carriers or people with nasal congestion should cut fresh lemons and add them to water to drink."
Subsequently, on social networking services (SNS), messages circulated saying, "Mixing lemon, salt, and sugar in water creates a drink rich in electrolytes," which increased demand for lemons. Additionally, sales of other fruits such as tangerines, pears, coconuts, oranges, and ginger also rose.
On the 8th, citizens wearing masks are serving food at a restaurant in Beijing, China. Photo by Yonhap News
The surge in sales of canned yellow peaches is also related to this trend. According to monitoring data from the online e-commerce platform JD.com, on the 14th, all of the top five convenience food items included canned yellow peach products.
On another online commerce platform, Taobao, canned yellow peaches ranked 8th in trending topics. As of the 14th, the hashtag "Canned yellow peaches sold out nationwide" surpassed 17.92 million views on Weibo (China’s version of Twitter).
The media reported that this is connected to the experience of Chinese people eating canned yellow peaches prepared by their parents when they were sick and had no appetite as children. Although it does not have actual therapeutic effects, this sweet and vitamin-rich food has often been a snack given to children in Chinese households when they were ill.
Local experts dismissed this phenomenon as baseless folklore. A health specialist said, "(Folk remedies) are not medically proven to be effective," and advised, "It is better to take medications such as antipyretics that help treat COVID-19." Guo Zhongyi, director of the Beijing Nutritionist Association, cautioned against using lemons as a COVID-19 treatment, stating, "This method cannot produce enough electrolyte drinks to treat COVID-19," and urged, "Do not blindly believe it has great efficacy."
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