Sunday, July 8, 2012

Cloth Produce Bags will Change your Apples.

I am now that lady who judges people wrapping their produce in plastic. Yep, the thought of plastic wrapping my fruits and vegetables makes me feel a bit nauseous and I'm sadly tempted to be that crazy as to inform other shoppers that they are lame for using plastic. I know. Don't worry, I hold it in check (well mostly, since I will admit that it's likely judging looks escape...). Not very yogic of me. 

I grew up with a mom who wrapped everything in plastic like most people. All produce had to be in those thin plastic bags for fear, gasp, that maybe they would get contaminated with salmonella or leprosy between the bin and their trip to the crisper. 

How ridiculous of me to actually believe that fruit and vegetables in the store's bin had magically appeared there without touching ANY OTHER SURFACE. It was my husband's brief stint working at Safeway while we lived in BC that opened my eyes to how I was being a bit ridiculous. As if all that produce hadn't already been handled by dozens of other hands, to be rearranged several times a day. I was deluding myself if I thought that they were 'germ' free prior to the moment I picked them up.

Andrew also pointed out that plastic doesn't allow produce to breathe (another little trick he learned as a produce guy) so it's not the best choice for storage, cloth would allow fruits and vegetables to stay fresher, longer in the fridge. So why was I still shoving even whole fruits and vegetables in plastic bags?

Soon after I purchased my first cloth produce bags- Lioli (love it or lose it) pogsacs. I was instantly in love. They are easy to clean, come in different sizes and I love that there are mesh and solid options, depending if I want bulk items like nuts. (Credo bags also have a fabulous selection, or you could make your own like my friend Jen did. Although not her site, DIY from Design Sponge).

They have never posed a problem, although weirdly I have had cashiers ask if they could look in the bags if I don't already have them open (Canadians, we're so polite!). 

It has now progressed to when I forget the bags, I still don't use plastic. I mean, why would I need to group my apples together? Or my contain my carrots that are already bunched? They are all going to be thoroughly washed regardless of whether they are in a bag or not, and I'm fairly certain no one has bled, vomited or peed on the basket, cart or till rotating thingy. If they did, my wash would kill most of the germs that haven't already died from being exposed to oxygen for so long. 

We are so paranoid about germs, sometimes I think it's ridiculous. 

So the next time you're out grocery shopping- consider NOT wrapping your apples in a plastic bag. Just set them loosely in your cart and see what happens. When you get home, give them a good scrub, like you always would, and wonder at how the world didn't end- you didn't catch syphilis from that apple. Who knew?

article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

14 comments:

  1. I agree those plastic produce bags are dumb, though I do sometimes use them for things that are more fragile or if I'm buying quote a few of something. Doesn't happen often though since I live alone and just buy a bit of food as I need them. I would like to find an alternative, assuming stores don't mind and will still weigh them at the cash.

    I think the reason people use them though is to keep the produce away from things like meat which can sometimes leak, especially for things that touch the conveyor at the cash. I still think it's unnecessary though. You still have to wash your produce when you get it home.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oh yeah- we usually get asked if we want our meat wrapped in a separate plastic bag. honestly, if it's sitting ok in the bag, i typically say no. It's often wrapped in saran wrap anyway and we don't jostle the bag or walk far. But i can understand :)

      Delete
  2. That's a great idea, it's just a case of breaking the habit isn't it? If I forget my (big) shopping bags when I'm going to the supermarket, I feel I have to apologise to the cashier when I ask if I can have some plastic carriers! Even paper bags in the shops would be better..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i aplogize all the time when i forget my big shopping bag! if i can, i always ask for paper- some health food stores have them, when i forget.

      Delete
  3. I've never understood the germ phobia associated with putting produce in a cart or on the checkout conveyor belt. I mean, the produce has been exposed to the hands of those who harvested it, packed it, unpacked it, displayed it, and, of course, the hands of many, many shoppers who handle it while trying to select that perfect tomato, etc. So what is a plastic bag going to do?

    ReplyDelete
  4. I stopped using plastic produce bags in 2009. It doesn't even phase me to see my produce rolling around on the check-out conveyor belt although sometimes I see it take others in line by surprise. I'm pretty sure we all pass judgment in one form or another :) Granny and I have gone round and round about her continued use of plastic produce bags....but she always argues that she takes them back for recycling---still a waste but it also elicits a chuckle. ;) Changed the blog from SA to this one--hope you've been well!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ahhh, some battles i just don't try to fight. I tried to convince my mom to use cloth bags, even bought her some for xmas, but my problem is that the bags are kinda artisan, hand printede and she finds them TOO pretty to use! ah well :)
      (ps- YES love the new blog title!!)

      Delete
  5. I've been using some cloth bags I purchased off Etsy for about a year now and they've been amazing. Not only do I feel better about not wasting the plastic ones, I actually find them much easier to use. We just moved from Ohio to California a few months ago and it's funny how many comments I've gotten about them here. People just thought they were pretty cool and normal where we used to live, but it seems like most people here have never seen them. One of the clerks at the check out line was like, "Are these some kind of European thing?"

    Anyhow, I am usually bad about reverting to plastic if I'm just out for a quick, unplanned trip; however, I took your advice and went sans the bag yesterday. My husband was leery at first, but when I brought up the whole germ thing you mentioned, it made sense to him to. As a double bonus, I think he FINALLY gets why it's important to actually wash our produce! ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. haha weird! i got a lot of comments about my bags when i moved from BC to Nova Scotia too (opposite direction than you!).

      yay sans bag! that is exciting :D

      Delete
  6. I've been using mesh bags for years now and love them. They still baffle the cashiers, but it works! And just like you said - those fruits are GERMY anyway, so what's the worry?! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. When I lived in Italy the supermarkets all had single-use plastic gloves to be used when picking your produce. I never used them as I found it ridiculous & the bin filled with 'soiled' gloves enraged me every time I saw it. Mainly I got away with just getting a few looks from fellow customers but once a shopper demanded that I put the gloves on to pick my BANANAS!
    Crazy, but on the other hand all plastic bags at the checkout had to be paid for - something which is still not usually implemented here (UK) 15 years later...

    ReplyDelete
  8. My husband had the great idea to cut old pillowcases into quarters and stitch them up to make reusable produce bags. They work perfectly and we get lots of compliments, but we recently learned that they're heavier than we thought--about 12oz! We knew they weighed more than plastic, but not that much more. I'm going to experiment with making mesh bags next.

    ReplyDelete
  9. LOVE this post- THANK YOU THANK YOU for posting this! :) Amy

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing from you! So I don't miss a comment, I like "pre-approving" them :)
I ask only that we stay respectful.
Also, please note that this is a personal blog and not a space for advertising your company. I reserve the right to delete "advertising" comments.

**NB: The ANONYMOUS option is the BEST way to comment if you don't have a blogger or established google/gmail account.
Merci!