The Real Reason Veggie Bags Have Green Stripes

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When it comes to getting your daily dose of vegetables, there are endless ways to enjoy them: air frying, roasting and stir-frying are just a few. But when you’re at the grocery store picking up your veggies, have you ever noticed that some of the vegetable bags have horizontal green stripes lining them? It's true! The thin green lines blend into the package and it's almost unnoticeable.

But, they’re actually on the packaging for a reason.

Darren Hartwell for Taste of Home

You might be surprised at the reason: the green stripes create an optical illusion that makes the vegetables inside appear greener. By making the color pop, customers may be more likely to invest in their greens.

Yup, that really is the reasoning! And it's kind of genius. It's the same idea behind the reason why oranges are sold in red mesh bags. Or similarly why lemons are sold in green or yellow bags, as well. The packaging makes the goods look more vibrant and appealing, encouraging consumers to buy it.

Many of the grocery store details that we hardly think about actually have intentional reasoning behind them. Beyond the green stripes on vegetable bags, these other grocery store details are there for a reason.

For example, have you ever thought about the reason why supermarkets sell bread in brown bags? It actually has to do with keeping the bread fresh. There's also a reason why milk is typically kept towards the back of the grocery store, too.

Some of these grocery store tricks get you to spend more, while other grocery store secrets serve more functional purposes. Either way, the next time you’re checking out certain bags of vegetables, you’ll know the reasoning behind why they look so green.