Produce Packed in Plastic: How Does it Affect your Health?

Fruit and vegetables come in their own natural wrapping and don’t need any additional man-made packaging such as plastic! Have you ever noticed condensation happening in sealed plastic bags filled with carrots or potatoes? This simply shows how fruit and vegetables are living things that perspire and need air and water to live. When trapped in plastic bags, they suffocate and die slowly. You may think that plastic bags, and plastic containers don’t affect your health or wellness directly, but they do one way or another.

 

  • Plastic leaches
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    Plastic bags or plastic containers may give you a few additional days of freshness but won’t keep fruit and veggies fresh for 2+ weeks like The Swag. We know, plastic is convenient but one of its major drawbacks is its toxicity. Recent research has shown that the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates commonly found in many plastics, can leach into food and pose potential health risks - even when stored at room temperature! When plastic is exposed to heat (think potatoes cooked in a plastic bag in the microwave), the leaching occurs even faster. BPA is linked to infertility, obesity, heart problems, diabetes so make sure not to store your fruit, vegetables or food in plastic!

     

  • Sealed plastic means bacteria
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    Many  products are recalled for food contamination are pre-packed or pre-cut salads and fruits. Plastic packaging provides bacteria with a warm and moist environment which is the ideal place for bacteria to proliferate. Some tests run byToday found  that loose lettuce has 470,000 microbes per gram, while the washed leaves out of a packet has 9.5 million microbes per gram.

     

  • Dehydration and nutrient loss
    • As soon as fruit and vegetables are picked, they start losing nutrients. The loss happens through dehydration which occurs at every stage of the produce journey until it reaches our plates. However, dehydration is multiplied when fruit and vegetables can’t breathe, aren’t hydrated and suffocate in plastic bags. What does it mean for you? Fresh produce is  already less nutritious than years ago, which means the food we eat doesn’t provide the necessary nutrients to our body as it used to. The Swag is a non-toxic and plastic-free cotton bag that provides the ideal environment for fresh fruits and vegetables to thrive in, hydrate and breathe at their own pace. They will remain nutrient-fresh and nourish you for your health and wellness needs.