The 5 Best Reusable Produce Bags

To the joy of many and the grumbling of a few, single-use plastics are on the way out. Recent discoveries in science have convinced us that our wastefulness is not just dangerous, but potentially catastrophic. Meanwhile, societies across the world have begun reconsidering the ethical implications of our consumption habits. While our moral and scientific compass begins to point in one direction, we at Momtastic feel it's only fair to also do our part, too. So here we are to help illuminate the best reusable produce bags currently available, so that you never have to rely on plastic grocery bags again.

Naturally Sensible Mesh – Set of 5

Make it Meshy, Not Messy

If you're looking for an affordable, durable, and stylish set of mesh bags to replace grocery bags at the market, you really can't go wrong here.

Best Overall

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We adore Naturally Sensible’s 5-piece set. Let’s keep it simple here, shall we? Aside from being cute, these bags are generously sized, easy to clean, and lightweight yet durable. They have pull tabs on them, too, which means you can close them without worrying about those mischievous apples trying to escape. The hem is made of a high-quality cotton fabric, unlike cheaper options, which use unreliable polyester ribbon.

Pros:

Produced via eco-friendly practices
Double as luggage organizer bags
Won’t rip easily
Available in many colors

Cons:

May absorb color of produce
Drawstring isn’t the most trusty

Stasher Silicone Food Bag

The Goodie Stash

After booming in popularity, the silicone-based, pinch-to-seal Stasher bags can be found in kitchens, daybags, and lunchboxes across the country.

Best Silicone-Based

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When we speak of trends, a bag is rarely the source of the frenzy. But in the case of Stasher’s reusable bags, this is exactly the case. So what’s the scoop? Well, while these aren’t so useful to bring to the supermarket while you’re food shopping, Stasher’s smaller bags can completely replace snack bags (think Zip-lock). They function exactly the same: just pinch the seal to lock them (the seal is air-tight), throw them in your bag, and you’ve got a snack handy throughout the day without feeling bad about the waste. They’re great for packing your kids’ school lunches, too.

As far as the bag’s construction goes, it’s pretty impressive: it’s made of 100% pure, non-toxic platinum silicone, and it’s totally free of BPA, PVC, and latex.

Pros:

Safe in microwave, freezer, oven, and dishwasher
Can also be boiled
Great for marinating

Cons:

A bit costly for the size
Not too easy to clean/dry

Simple Ecology Drawstring

Keep it Simple With Simple Ecology

Doing what's right for the planet doesn't require you to sacrifice much; in fact, products like these can actually make it cool.

Best Cotton Mesh

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Have you ever gotten home from grocery shopping, unpacked all your spoils, and packed it all away, and then glanced at the remaining crinkled-plastic bags and thought to yourself, “Man, those are great”? No? Me neither. Often, we tend to assume that doing the right thing will be more of an inconvenience. But actually, Simple Ecology’s 6-piece set makes it not only easy to go food shopping without using plastic, but also cool. Imagine it: you’re stuffing those cruciferous greens away when you notice, from your periphery, a fellow food-shopper at your side, glancing at your bags. You see her eyebrows raise, and then a look of satisfaction as she realizes, huh, that’s interesting. Not a bad idea. And just like that, you’ve recruited a potential soldier into the army of reusable products.

As for the merits of this one, we love that all the bags in the set are made of breathable organic cotton, which not only holds the promise of a long life, but is also strong enough to carry your heavier items. We also like that the bags aren’t all the same size; rather, you’ll get 2 medium-sized, 2 large, and 2 extra-large bags.

Pros:

Certified by GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)
Fantastic price given the quality

Cons:

May shrink in the wash
Material is a bit heavy

Purifyou Premium Double-Stitched

Keep 'Em Separated

Designed with useful features, this inexpensive 9-piece set allows you to buy enough to store some of these in your car or backpack for whenever the need may arise.

Best Value

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While Purifyou’s bags are, after all, just bags, they do have some features that separate them from the pack, and that’s why we chose them. First of all, there are nine bags in this set, which means you’ll have enough to place each individual produce item in its own bag. Each mesh bag includes the bag’s tare weight printed on a small tab on the outside of the bag, so that when the cashier weighs the bag, they can subtract the bag’s weight to get the exact weight of the food. Because this set contains nine bags, some of different sizes and weights, this is really useful. A nifty trick is that you can take a produce sticker off of the food item that you’re storing in the bag, and attach the sticker to the bag’s label tab. This’ll save the cashier a bunch of time at the register, and they’ll appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Pros:

Doubles excellently as a liquid strainer
Company offers a lifetime warranty
Free of BPA, mercury and lead

Cons:

Could be a bit more transparent
May not survive long in the washer

ChicoBag Original Compact

Check out this Chico

Having separate bags for each your fruit and veggies is great, but where do you put all of those bags?

Best Large-Sized

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So, now that you’ve made your way through this article, you realize something. You’ve got your veggies stored in one color-code reusable bag, your fruits in another, your small perishables or nuts in your Stasher bag, and all the other stuff in your mesh and cotton bags, and yet, you ask, how are you going to carry all of these bags at once?

Enter the ChicoBag. Designed to collapse and stuff into a tiny carry pouch, the ChicoBag can hold up to 25 pounds. What we like most about it is that it takes up almost no room, and it also has a carabiner clip attached to it. With the clip, you can attach it to your purse, backpack, or your car’s rear-view mirror so that you never forget it when you’re going food shopping.

Pros:

One year limited manufacturer’s warranty
Machine washable
Available in 10 colors

Cons:

Not the most durable
Could benefit from being even bigger

Frequently Asked Questions

My supermarket uses paper instead of plastic. What’s wrong with that?

Let’s pause for a moment and reflect on a statistic. In the year 1999, we chopped down almost 15 million trees in the USA alone to produce paper bags for groceries. Consider the fact that: A) the population has since grown considerably; and B) many people are pushing for paper as an alternative to plastic, and you can conclude that the number is only growing.

So what? We can just plant more trees, can’t we? Aren’t they “reusable” in that way? Well, sort of, but once you learn that paper bags require 300% more energy to produce than plastic ones, you realize it’s perhaps not the best alternative. Also, just because we could plant more trees to replace the ones we chop down, doesn’t mean that we are doing that. So paper’s not the savior. Simply put, buying a single product that you can reuse indefinitely is leagues better than the alternative.

Aside from preserving the planet’s resources, will reusable produce bags also help preserve my produce?

This depends on the type of reusable bag you go with. If you’re using a breathable bag (like the mash or cotton ones included above), this will allow the fruit to air more easily. This prevents rot and helps keep the fruit fresher for longer. When produce is trapped in a plastic bag, this creates an airtight seal in which the produce cannot breathe. You can understand how this isn’t optimal, as far as freshness is concerned.