This article explores the possibility of extending the memory color rendition index (MCRI) for specific applications. The memory colors and preferred colors of three types of meat products (ham sausage, chicken breast and raw hamburger) have been derived in a psychophysical rating experiment. The rating data have been modeled by modified bivariate Gaussian functions from which similarity functions have been derived. These functions, which predict the degree of similarity with respect to the memory color or preferred color of the meat products, have been used to evaluate the color quality of four commercially available meat lighting lamps. It was found that predicted color quality depends on the illuminance level, indicating that illuminance level is a potentially important aspect of color rendition evaluation, one that is not taken into account by most color rendition indices.