9月12日晚間，羅永浩透過抖音、B站與微博等平台開啟直播，正式回應近期鬧得沸沸揚揚的「西貝預製菜爭議」。直播的背景板上寫著幾行醒目的字樣：「不反對預製菜，推動預製菜透明化，維護消費者知情權」。從這個表態一開始就能看出，羅永浩並非完全否定預製菜的存在，而是針對「透明與誠信」這一核心問題提出質疑。

直播中，羅永浩直言不諱地指出：「西貝稱沒有預製菜是100%撒謊。」他強調，爭議並非出在餐飲企業使用預製菜本身，而在於是否如實告知消費者。他以老鄉雞為例，稱其是行業中的表率。「每道菜，現做就是現做，預製就是預製，標注得很清楚。」羅永浩甚至毫不吝嗇地公開稱讚老鄉雞：「這點所有使用預製菜的餐廳，都要向你們的同行老鄉雞學習。我這輩子還沒吃過，準備去試試。」

老鄉雞之所以被點名表揚，是因為它從2024年起就在門店推出一套「加工等級公示系統」。這套系統就像交通信號燈般直觀：綠色標識代表餐廳現做，即生鮮處理、現場切配與調味；黃色標識代表半預製，通常是來自中央廚房或外部供應；紅色標識則代表復熱預製，意即中央廚房提前烹飪好，只需加熱即可上桌。據客服介紹，目前紅色標識的菜品很少，僅有「筍子燒肉」與「秘汁滷肉飯」兩道。而且老鄉雞還將所有菜品的原料來源、加工方式、供應商等完整訊息放在官方公眾號，讓消費者能夠從土雞養殖場一路追溯到調料供應商，做到全程透明。

羅永浩在直播中多次重申自己的立場：「預製菜不是不可以用，而是要標註清楚。」他表示，餐飲企業使用預製菜並不違法，但若是將其偽裝成「現做」，則侵犯消費者的知情權，這才是真正的問題。他還特意展示西貝後廚使用的冷凍魚包裝圖片，指出其保質期長達18個月，配料中含有三聚磷酸鈉、六偏磷酸鈉等多種複配水分保持劑。這些資訊一旦與「新鮮、現做」的宣傳形成鮮明對比，自然引發外界的不滿與質疑。

整場直播，羅永浩既表達對行業亂象的批評，也給出建設性的解法。他認為問題的核心不在於預製菜本身，而在於標註的誠實與透明。如果所有餐廳都能像老鄉雞一樣，明確告訴消費者「這是現做」「這是半預製」「這是復熱」，那麼顧客在知情的前提下自由選擇，就不會引發如此激烈的爭議。

On the evening of September 12, Luo Yonghao went live on Douyin, Bilibili, and Weibo to address the growing controversy surrounding the use of pre-prepared meals (“prefabricated dishes”) at the restaurant chain Xibei. Behind him, a banner read: “We are not against prefabricated dishes, but we advocate transparency and the protection of consumers’ right to know.” From the outset, Luo made it clear that his criticism was not directed at the existence of prefabricated meals themselves, but rather at the lack of honesty and transparency in how they are presented to the public.

During the livestream, Luo bluntly stated: “Xibei saying they don’t use prefabricated dishes is a 100% lie.” He emphasized that the issue is not the use of such products—which is legal—but whether restaurants mislead customers into believing they are eating freshly prepared meals. To illustrate his point, Luo singled out another restaurant chain, Lao Xiang Ji, as an industry role model. “Every dish is clearly labeled: if it’s freshly cooked, it says so; if it’s prefabricated, it says so. The labeling is completely transparent.” He went so far as to praise the brand publicly: “Every restaurant using prefabricated dishes should learn from Lao Xiang Ji. I’ve never eaten there before, but now I plan to try it.”

Lao Xiang Ji has been implementing a “dish classification system” since 2024, which functions much like a traffic light for consumers. Green labels indicate dishes cooked fresh on-site with raw ingredients; yellow labels denote semi-prepared items supplied by central kitchens or external vendors; red labels indicate fully pre-prepared dishes that only require reheating before serving. According to the company, very few items fall into the red category—only two dishes, Braised Pork with Bamboo Shoots and Secret Sauce Braised Pork Rice. Beyond in-store labeling, Lao Xiang Ji also publishes full ingredient sourcing and preparation details on its official WeChat account, allowing customers to trace every step from chicken farms to seasoning suppliers, thereby achieving a high degree of transparency.

Throughout the broadcast, Luo reiterated his position: “Prefabricated meals are not inherently a problem, but they must be clearly labeled.” He stressed that the restaurant industry has the right to use them, but not to disguise them as freshly cooked food, as doing so undermines consumer rights. To support his point, he showed photos of frozen fish packages reportedly used in Xibei’s kitchens. The packaging revealed a shelf life of up to 18 months and listed multiple compound additives such as sodium tripolyphosphate and sodium hexametaphosphate—ingredients that starkly contrast with the chain’s marketing image of “fresh” cuisine.

Luo’s livestream thus balanced sharp criticism with constructive guidance. His argument was that the controversy is less about prefabricated food itself and more about whether businesses are being truthful with their customers. If the industry adopted a transparent system like Lao Xiang Ji’s, allowing diners to make informed choices, much of the distrust and backlash around prefabricated dishes could be avoided.