The Best Reusable Produce Bags to Protect Fruits, Veggies and the Planet, According to Experts
The best reusable produce bags will keep fruits and vegetables fresh longer, as well as help protect the environment.
Plastic pollution is at crisis levels. The majority of plastics are not recycled and make their way from the garbage dump to the ocean, where they endanger the environment and wildlife and break down into nanoparticles that are harmful to human health. You can help break the cycle by ending your reliance on single-use plastic bags and containers for storing produce in your fridge.
We recommend that you even bring reusable produce bags with you when you shop so that you don't have to grab the cheap plastic bags that supermarkets provide for bagging items like apples, onions and heads of lettuce.
To help you start doing the right thing for Mother Earth, here are our recommendations for the best reusable produce bags.
What to Consider When Buying a Reusable Produce Bag
Material: Fabric or silicone? Fabric bags are what you'll want to bring with you to the market. They're lightweight and take up little room in a tote. As they're flexible, they're easy to stuff with just a few more cherries or an extra orange and stash in the crisper in your fridge. When you buy fabric bags, look for ones that you can toss in the washing machine and dryer. For storing small items like grapes or berries or wedges of pepper, choose durable silicone bags with pinch close seals. They can also be used to store a myriad of other things, including sandwiches and leftovers, and can be safely microwaved and cleaned in the dishwasher.
Sturdy Construction: Check fabric seams to see if they're double or even triple-stitched and won't easily burst.
Size: Bags come in a variety of sizes. Some are sold as sets of multiples of the same size, and others as sets that include several sizes. Think about what types of items you buy and store, and how many of them. For grocery shopping, larger bags that can accommodate a large bunch of leafy greens or a week's worth of apples are better, but small ones are great for stashing a single avocado or a few tomatoes.
Ease of Closing: Fabric bags should have drawstrings that pull smoothly and easily. Beads that slide along the drawstrings and clamp down on them can help to keep the bag securely closed. On silicone bags, you'll want closures that are easy to click shut and give a tight seal.
Labels With Tare Weights: Many bags have easy-to-read labels with "tare weights" so the checkout person can deduct the weight of the bag when they're weighing your fruits and veggies.
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Since the main reason you're equipping yourself with reusable product bags is to do your part to go green, you'll feel good knowing these bags are 100 percent cotton and contain no metal or plastic parts. Double-seamed, they have a drawstring that can be pulled tight from either side. Their mesh construction allows you to see whether there are plums or lemons inside and is stretchy enough to adjust to odd-shaped items.
While the bags weigh almost nothing, the weight of each one is marked on the label so it can be subtracted from the total weight before the cashier rings you up. Each size has a different color label. With this set, for a very reasonable price, you get all the bags you just might need, depending on how much produce you buy. It includes four each of small (great for garlic or limes), medium (great for oranges or zucchini), and large (great for pineapple or bananas) bags, as well as a bonus muslin one you can use to store them in or stash a loaf of sourdough you nabbed at the bakery. While you can safely machine-wash and dry Cottify bags, they may shrink a bit.
What's not to love about these sturdy silicone bags that seal shut when you pinch the top of the two sides together? While Stasher bags come in many colors, we prefer this completely clear version that makes it easy to see what's inside. This starter set is composed of a snack bag that's perfect for a few cherry tomatoes or carrot sticks, a sandwich bag, a stand-up bag that holds slightly more than a quart, and a two-cup "bowl."
Stasher can safely be used in the microwave to lightly steam veggies or reheat leftovers, in a sous vide bath instead of plastic bags, and in the freezer and the oven. To clean them, pop them in the dishwasher. When not being used, these bags stack neatly in a cabinet, and as they're self-contained, there's no scrounging around for a matching lid. Check out the Stasher website for lots of sizes and shapes.
While Endurables are a lot pricier than fabric bags, they're more economical than Stasher silicone bags. They have all the benefits of Stasher, including the ability to be used for heating and cleaned in the dishwasher. There are considerably fewer sizes and shapes to choose from, but this set offers a nice variety of pieces, including two- and 4four-cup containers and one-, two- and eight-cup pouches. All of them stand up, making it convenient to fill them. On top of each Endurable, there's a tab so it's easy to grab it from the microwave.
If you're not averse to plastic in any form, you'll appreciate these polyester bags, which are less likely to stain than cotton bags and, in general, are easier to clean. Not only can they go in the washing machine, but they can also be put in the dishwasher as well. Thanks to double stitching, they'll hold up to wear and tear. The drawstrings pull smoothly and have beads to keep them tightly closed. In addition to displaying the tare weights in large lettering, the labels are color-coded.
We like the fact that this set includes lots of large-sized bags, so you can really load up at the farmers market on the weekend. In addition to two small bags that you can use for a bunch of thyme and a few shallots, you get five large and two extra large ones to fill with a giant bouquet of basil, celery and broccoli. The mesh on these bags is very fine, so you can also use them for items you buy in bulk, like nuts, lentils and raisins.
If you're just dipping your toes into the reusable bag space, this super-reasonable set makes it painless to ease your way in and test the waters. It includes five nylon bags. As they're all the same size, you don't have to make any calculations as to which one to bring with you to the market, and because they're large, they should be big enough for your basic weekly stock of peaches, tomatoes, salad mix and peppers. Made of nylon, Joie bags are stretchy, stain-resistant and come clean easily in the washing machine. They have smooth-pulling drawstrings and are made of fine mesh that's easy to see through and small enough to contain items like granola, split peas and cranberries.
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