Do Green Baggies Really Work?

Keeping perishables fresh saves on grocery bills.

Green baggies differ from normal, plastic produce bags in that they are manufactured specifically with absorptive minerals, explains CTV News of British Columbia. The specific minerals within the green baggies allow fruits and vegetables to retain a longer shelf life.

Process

According to Green Living Guide, ethylene gas emits from all fruits and vegetables as a natural, chemical process to ripen the plant. Therefore, green baggies were developed with oya clay, found to have the ability to absorb the ethylene gas, and slow down the rotting process.

History

Oya clay was found to have this use by the Japanese. Old storage techniques of utilizing a cave for fruits and vegetables showed long shelf life for the foods, and in the end, the cave proved to have high levels of oya clay within the inner soil.

Tip

CTV News of British Columbia states that foods which ripen after being pulled from the plant, such as avocados, tomatoes and bananas, benefit from green baggies due to the emission of ethylene gas and the absorptive use of the clay minerals.

References

• CTV News: Can 'green bags' really keep your food fresh for weeks?
• Green Living Guide: How 'green bags' keep food fresher longer