A door was installed on the open-refrigerated section of Lotte Mart’s outlet in southern Seoul on Feb. 13, 2023. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 7 (Korea Bizwire) — Refrigerated shelves at convenience stores are often set to excessively low temperatures, leading to significant energy waste, a consumer advocacy group said Thursday.
The Korea Consumer Agency examined the temperature settings of refrigerated display stands in 60 convenience stores nationwide.
Among these, 56 stores had set their temperatures below 5 degrees Celsius, while another 32 stores had temperatures below 3 degrees Celsius.
In contrast, among the 56 convenience stores equipped with door refrigerators, 42 had set their temperatures below 5 degrees Celsius, and 23 had temperatures below 3 degrees Celsius.
These findings indicate that refrigerated display stands consume more energy compared to door refrigerators.
The Korea Consumer Agency explained that open refrigerated display stands are more susceptible to external factors, and convenience store owners tend to set them at colder temperatures in order to maintain product freshness.
According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, setting a closed refrigerator at a temperature of 5 degrees Celsius results in energy savings of approximately 65 percent when compared to open refrigerated display stands.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
