Bags and label requirements for vegetable produce?

[dolmenParticipant]

Just wondering if there are any members that bag their produce for sale or giving to family and friends? and if so how have they best discovered to go about it. Thanks

[MJSJParticipant]

Hi I use any old plastic veg bags from supermarket a great way to reuse as our area doesn’t recycle !! But am considering brown paper bags like green grocers used to use .selling just picked no washing is required & encourages purchaser)receiver to wash their veg !! As soon as you wash health & safety becomes more complicated I think.

[dolmenParticipant]

Thanks MJSJ, I’ve found that rinsing the fresh salad leaves in cold water helps keep them fresh, less limp for longer. However sourcing suitable bags has been an issue.

[CleansweepParticipant]

Be careful washing for sale .My understanding is that washing water needs to be of a higher standard than tap drinking water! Go figure?

[dolmenParticipant]

Thanks Cleansweep, not sure how anyone could do that. I remember seeing Charles dipping his leaves in a barrel at the side of the greenhouse! perhaps he might join in?

[Converted no diggerParticipant]

I use these with compostable stickers just to seal the bag a bit.

260 x 260mm Clear / White PLA Bag

I rinse and spin all leaves to get the grit off but I still sell them as unwashed so the buyer will give them a wash before using.

I think for me to sell as washed they have to go through a chlorine solution a number of times.

I presume other smaller growers just give a rinse to have them presentable but sell as unwashed too like Charles?

[Converted no diggerParticipant]

On the label’s I have found so far that no label’s is working fine because my customers that I sell direct to are just happy to know where it comes from and that its gown organically.

Same with the customers which buy through a small local shop.

But id imagine a larger supermarket would want label’s

From my own point of view sustainability is very important to me and me getting label’s printed seems wrong for my way of running a small business.

I try make sure my customers know that.

[dolmenParticipant]

double post

[dolmenParticipant]

Thank you CND, Great, I will check out those bags, there’s so many types of ”plastic” ”ECO” nowadays that I’m completely lost. I also agree with you RE: rinsing the leaves but selling as unwashed, that’s kinda what I wanted to do.

[Converted no diggerParticipant]

It took me a long time to figure out the bags too. Some of the eco bags are not what they are made out to be. Biodegradable supposedly have a chemical added to break them down.

Compostable are the ones to look for.

I fit 130g of a mixed salad into the ones above but I am still on the look out for a larger compostable type.

[dolmenParticipant]

Hopefully someone has found just what we are looking for and will join in …

[CleansweepParticipant]

Could waxed paperbags work? Can be composted with ammonia rich poultry manure, as can tetra-pak cartons. Think the bag issue is a minor consideration.
See:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/comply-with-marketing-standards-for-fresh-fruit-and-vegetables
There seems to be no exemptions for small producers-farmers markets-anybody!
How should one proceed?

[Converted no diggerParticipant]

I came across another type of compostable bag
https://www.polybags.co.uk/shop/compostable-bags_c1854.htm

Cleansweep That link is making things way too complicated.

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