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If your produce spoils right before your eyes, you might want to change how you store it in your kitchen. Tharon Green/Anna Gragert/CNET
Every time I open my fridge, it feels like I find another fruit, veg or leafy green that's spoiled just a few days after purchase. Tired of having to throw my produce into the compost bin, I decided to try something I've seen recommended countless times: produce bags that claim to keep food fresh for longer.
I put three different produce bag materials to the test: the free vegetable starch compostable bags available at my grocery store, Thrive Market's mesh bags and Ambrosia's linen produce bags.
For my experiment, I used red bell peppers and romaine lettuce, which I stored in these bags inside my refrigerator's produce drawer. I did so for two weeks, which the USDA's FoodKeeper app says is the recommended consumption limit for both peppers and lettuce when refrigerated after purchase.
Here's how long the produce bags kept my food fresh, and which material performed the best in my test.
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Day 1: A fresh start
I purchased my romaine lettuce and red bell peppers from my local Trader Joe's. While there, I picked up the 100% vegetable starch-based compostable produce bags available for free in the produce section.
What the produce looked like on the day of purchase, and all the different produce bags used. Anna Gragert/CNET
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