by Diane Quinn

Created on: January 15, 2009   Last Updated: August 01, 2011

Have you seen the Green Bags by Debbie Meyer advertised on television? They look appealing to anyone who likes to buy fresh but ends up throwing away what they cannot use quickly enough. That's why the ads that promise to prolong the life of fruits, vegetables, flowers, cheese and even bread may look too good to be true.

How do Green Bags work?

They work on the premise that as foods ripen and age ethylene gas is produced that accelerates the process. The green coating on the bags is alleged to absorb and remove the ripening gases. This agent is advertised as a natural mineral form of Zeolite called Oya.'

While the green color is the most popular for produce, other food products have their own color coded bag: Yellow is for breads and grains; red is for meats; and blue is for cheese. All colors come in an assortment of different sizes.

But, do the Green Bags really work?

The Green Bags website claims that they have sold millions of their product. Just what are the pros and cons from people who purchased this product?

The Pros

• They are easy to obtain. A great incentive to try the product is the $10 for 20 bags price. Walmart carries a $9.99 Green Bag box of 20 on their infomercial' stand in the front of the store besides checkout. Also, the television infomercial provides a toll free number for easy ordering. Sometimes they offer ad specials for free shipping.

• They are washable and reusable. As long as the green color remains, it is supposed to keep working.

• Relatively easy to use, no one should have a problem with the simple fold-over technique.

• About half of the people who have used them, recommend them.

The Cons

• A difficult to navigate website at www.greenbags.com. Complaints state that when you have made a product choice, you are sent through a maze of specials and asked to add to your order. When finally entering payment information, an unusually high shipping charge appears.

Canceling the order then becomes confusing, and there are complaints about nonexistent customer service phone numbers.

• The 30-day promise of freshness for some items is misleading at best.

• Regular checks to be sure that no moisture has formed inside the bag. Some types of produce cause more moisture build-up than others. For the process to work correctly, people must check the bags regularly to remove any moisture or the produce inside will soften and become slimy.

• About half of the people who have used them, would not recommend them.

Why is it that Green Bags can work so well for some people but fail miserably for others?

The first reason could be that some people follow directions better than others. There are procedures to be followed, and if people are careless, they may not get the same positive end result. Another factor is that the produce going into the bags are in different stages of ripening and this may account for much of the pro and con disparity.

The Bottom Line

Why not try them? Follow the directions exactly and decide for yourself. With the high cost of fresh produce, making a $10 investment may not be a bad idea if the Green Bags do work to extend the life of your food products.

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