A Product Review By Here We Are

Do you avoid buying extra fruits and vegetables on sale because they might go bad before you'll eat them? Clearly Fresh Bags may be the solution to saving you money while keeping your pantry stocked. These food storage bags really do extend the shelf life of fruits and most vegetables.

The company website states, "For the past 15 years BreatheWay technology has been used in the commercial shipment of fresh fruits and vegetables." The BreatheWay patented polymer process "acts as an Oxygen/Carbon Dioxide passageway - allowing just the right amount of oxygen in and much more carbon dioxide out." This creates an "ideal atmosphere" in which to slow the dehydration of the stored food.

When the company contacted me to do a review (they did supply me with a sample package), I was a bit skeptical about the product claims. At Here We Are, our Product Review Policy states that supplying a product does not guarantee a review, nor does it guarantee a positive review. Our motto is, "If we like it, we will tell you, if we don't, we will tell you."

That being said... It worked on everything I tested, except for bagged lettuce. It seems bagged lettuce, mixed baby greens, and arugula are veggies that are best eaten on the day they are bought. All the types of bagged lettuce I tested (stored in the refrigerator) deteriorated at the same rate as when left in their original product bags. That is the bad news on this product review.

The good news is that ALL of the other types of fruit and vegetables stored in the Clearly Fresh Bags {CLB} lasted much longer than the same types of produce NOT stored in the CLB (i.e., left in the fruit bowl or the fridge crisper).

I followed the package directions of using one type of produce per CLB, pushing out the extra air, zipping closed, and storing either on the counter or in the fridge.

Here are my test results:

Refrigerator items...

Nectarines: put into CLB on 7/23, removed 8/4 = 12 days ➤ firm & tasty

Strawberries: in on 8/3, out on 8/12 = 9 days ➤ Good as the first day I bought them! I placed the entire carton (without cellophane wrapping) into the bag and only removed a few each day to eat. On the ninth day, there were at least 8 strawberries still as good as new.

Blueberries: in on 9/1, out on 9/7 = 6 days ➤ plump and juicy; again, I just stuck the whole pint into the bag without the wrapping and put it on a shelf in the fridge

Peaches: in on 8/25, out on 9/5 = 11 days ➤ like new

Counter items...

Bananas: in on 9/15, out on 9/22 = 7 days ➤ slight browning on the outside, but firm on the inside

Onions: in on 9/15, out on 10/1 = 16 days ➤ like new, they would have lasted longer had I not needed them to cook!

Eggplant: in on 10/2, out on 10/7 = 5 days ➤ it was fine (this might be the maximum time frame), it felt a bit softer than when it went into the CLB; BUT 5 days is a lot longer than the typical 2 days it takes for an eggplant to brown and soften

Red Peppers: in on 10/2, out on 10/12 = 10 days ➤ like new

At $3.99 for 10 bags plus S&H (and I even reused CLB for all of the counter items I tested), it seems a bargain considering the potential "shelf life" extension of stored fruits and vegetables. The longer they stay fresh for use, the more money you save. We've all thrown out produce in a week worth more than a package of the CLB. Clearly, Clearly Fresh Bags keep food fresher longer. Try your own experiment and let us know your results.