Tossing out fresh fruit and vegetables that have gone bad feels like throwing money down the drain. A new product called FreshPaper claims to keep produce fresh for two to four times longer. It’s made from a mixture of spices, including fenugreek, which supposedly inhibits bacteria growth.
Consumer Reports wanted to check it out. Testers placed two sets of blueberries and strawberries with FreshPaper into a fridge—one set in its original store packaging, the other in airtight plastic containers. In a different fridge they placed another set of berries without FreshPaper.
Testers checked the fruit every day. The FreshPaper did not appear to have any effect on the blueberries. After two weeks all the blueberries looked pretty much the same—no matter which container.
The strawberries in their original store packaging without FreshPaper showed some mold growth. The strawberries with the FreshPaper didn’t have any mold, but they were starting to spoil—same as the berries without the paper.
As for the strawberries in the airtight containers, almost three weeks later the ones with the FreshPaper and the ones without the FreshPaper showed signs of spoilage.
Consumer Reports says that your best bet is to store fresh produce in a cool, dry place. And no matter how great it looks in the store, resist the urge to buy more than you need.
