coming soon to a store near you.......

[grasswire]

On that new TV show about inventions this week, I saw something that may interest home cooks. It's a little envelope that you throw into your fridge that will double the shelf life of the produce you buy. Apparently produce warehouses regularly use the stuff, and now it is being developed for home use, in little packets. The women who worked on the concept called the product "Freshies" but when they sold the concept to a larger distributor the name of it was changed to "Still Fresh" but I don't know what the final name will be. 2013 target date.

[Major Nikon]

1. It's not something new

It's called potassium permanganate and you can buy polyethylene bags that are permeated with it which have been available for some time...
http://www.amazon.com/Debbie-Meyer-Green-Bags-Pack/dp/B0011TMP3Y

It only works with certain fruits and vegetables. I'd be skeptical if even with those a powder you put in your fridge is going to be more effective than the bags which are already on the market.

[Laurian]

2. Is this what's used in packaged, pre-washed salad greens?

I find they have a distinct chemical smell. I've stopped buying them as I find the smell indicative of unwanted additives and the produce deteriorates rapidly once the package is opened. I would love the convenience of per-washed salad ingredients, but I can't get past that unnatural smell.

[Major Nikon]

4. I've never noticed a smell about them

However, I'm not as sensitive to certain chemical smells as some. I'm not sure if those bags use potassium permanganate or not because manufacturers also have other ways of keeping produce fresh. For some type of foods they package them with inert gases to prevent over-ripening and impede bacteria growth which extends shelf life, so the effect is the same, but the methods may be different.

[beac]

3. And you don't even have to ay $9.95 for the Debbie Meyer brand name bags.

I buy mine for a dollar for ten at the dollar store (Dollar Tree) and they work just as well as the DM ones I used to buy.