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Here's how to tell if your bag of lettuce is actually fresh

How to make sure you're bringing home the freshest produce

Here's how to tell if your bag of lettuce is actually fresh

How to make sure you're bringing home the freshest produce

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Here's how to tell if your bag of lettuce is actually fresh

How to make sure you're bringing home the freshest produce

A recently re-emerged Reddit thread claiming to have solved the age-old issue of accidentally buying past-its-prime bagged lettuce has been shut down. It turns out the way to tell if bagged lettuce is fresh isn't actually to buy the flattest (rather than the puffiest) bag in the aisle, but to look for something a little more old school.Per a tip from Reddit user Bradliss, a flatter bag of lettuce indicates its freshness because when greens are originally packaged, the air is sucked out of the bag. As the lettuce ages, it emits gas, which puffs up the bag. While there is some truth to that theory, it was debunked by a few professionals.Lettuce definitely does give off gas after it's bagged, but it's also put into a plastic bag designed to modify the atmosphere within it. That packaging is aptly called modified atmosphere packaging, Eat This, Not That! reports, and it can not only accommodate the gases given off by the lettuce, but it's also meant to ensure they don't affect the atmosphere inside it enough to cause browning or spoilage. Basically, NPR confirms, the bag breathes. It turns out the best way to be sure the bag of lettuce you're buying is fresh is not by the flatness or puffiness of the bag, but by the bag's Best By date. It sounds obvious, but it's just the best indicator of how long you have until the quality of the product is compromised. On that note ... happy lettuce shopping!

A recently re-emerged claiming to have solved the age-old issue of accidentally buying past-its-prime bagged lettuce has been shut down. It turns out the way to tell if bagged lettuce is fresh isn't actually to buy the flattest (rather than the puffiest) bag in the aisle, but to look for something a little more old school.

Per a tip from Reddit user , a flatter bag of lettuce indicates its freshness because when greens are originally packaged, the air is sucked out of the bag. As the lettuce ages, it emits gas, which puffs up the bag. While there is some truth to that theory, it was debunked by a few professionals.

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Lettuce definitely does give off gas after it's bagged, but it's also put into a plastic bag designed to modify the atmosphere within it. That packaging is aptly called modified atmosphere packaging, reports, and it can not only accommodate the gases given off by the lettuce, but it's also meant to ensure they don't affect the atmosphere inside it enough to cause browning or spoilage. Basically, confirms, the bag breathes.

It turns out the best way to be sure the bag of lettuce you're buying is fresh is not by the flatness or puffiness of the bag, but by the bag's . It sounds obvious, but it's just the best indicator of how long you have until the quality of the product is compromised.

On that note ... happy lettuce shopping!