purifYou Premium Reusable Mesh Produce Bags Are the Best Way to Replace the Plastic Bags at the Grocery Store

By Sarah Jampel

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I knew that buying these purifYou reusable produce bags would help me cut down my plastic consumption—but I didn't know that I’d receive so many compliments from strangers at the farmers’ market or grocery store.

I don't have a resting face that invites strangers to engage in conversation, exactly, and this is the only item that has made random people try anyway. There's just something about the way the lightweight mesh bags look and feel—swishy, creamy, soft—that makes people stop and comment on how lovely they are. I’m surprised no one's reached out to stroke them yet, considering they’re almost as tempting to touch as that fluffy pink insulation material (which you definitely should not).

I get great pleasure in treating my produce with such TLC: When I put apples or sweet potatoes or teeny Sungold tomatoes in the bags, it's like I’m tucking them into bed or buckling them into a car seat. I know fruits and vegetables don't have feelings but come on: They must prefer it this way. The bags come in a variety of sizes, so there's one that’ll cradle a bunch of herbs and another that will keep two handfuls of cherries from rolling around. I figure that if I select my produce with care and shepherd them in an earth-friendly fashion (rather than shoving them into the same type of plastic bags I reserve for cat litter and dirty gym clothes), then I’m also bound to put them to good use. Spring farmers’ market, here I come.

Photo by Chelsie Craig