Member feedback on use of compostable produce bags
A recap of our findings from trying out compostable Biobags to store spinach and salad mix:
The Biobags are larger in size than the plastic bags we have been using for salad mix and spinach, so there will be a little extra material at the top of the bag. It does mean a little wasted material, but it's not that consequential.
The Biobags have a very different texture than plastic bags - softer, stretchier, and almost a little stickier. We are neutral on this difference.
The green color of the Biobags makes it more difficult to see what's inside, though they are still somewhat transparent. No big deal.
The Biobags, while not as strong as plastic bags, seemed plenty strong for holding greens. We are told they are temperature sensitive, so will get weaker at higher temperatures.
We did notice a bit of an odor from some of the Biobags, particularly when it is first opened up off the roll. We did not notice any transfer into the flavor of the greens, but this characteristic is a negative, from our perspective.
The most consequential finding, which we want to make sure members will tolerate, is they did not keep the greens as fresh as plastic bags. In particular, after 2-3 days, any greens that were in contact with the bag began to wilt. After a week, most of the greens were wilted, whereas in the plastic bag they were still perky. If we decide to switch to Biobags, we would highly recommend that members transfer the produce into their own plastic bag or other container upon receipt.