Choosing the right plastic bag can be daunting given the number of choices. However, armed with some basic information, you'll be able to choose the right food storage bag for your needs!
Available in a variety of styles and materials based on your needs, an eco-friendly plastic bag is a great choice for any business looking to reduce their carbon footprint. Not only are these bags reusable, but many are also recyclable. Whether you need deli bags, t-shirt bags, or even handle bags for produce, there is an eco-friendly option to meet your needs. Many of these bags also feature a recycling symbol to make the environmentally-friendly use clear to customers.
For an eco-friendly alternative to plastic bags, paper bags are a great choice! Although they are often not as supportive as a plastic bag, paper bags are often recyclable. Paper bags are available in various colors, with or without handles, and come in different sizes for all of your food-wrapping needs.
Reusable shopping bags are great for a variety of businesses, and are designed for customers to use again and again. These durable bags can hold more than a standard paper or plastic bag, allowing customers to carry fewer bags for the same amount of groceries. They're often available in insulated and uninsulated varieties to ensure food is transported in the best manner possible. These bags also save you money on the cost of stocking paper and plastic bags, providing an eco-friendly and cost-savings benefit.
HDPE features a variety of qualities that make it one of the most common plastics used in the world and many of these qualities translate to making it an excellent material for plastic bags. HDPE is light-weight, resistant to temperature, water, and vapor, has high tensile strength, is relatively transparent, and meets FDA/USDA food handling guidelines. These qualities combine to make versatile bags that are excellent for both serving and storing food in retail and take out situations. HDPE plastic food storage bags will allow your grocery store, convenience store, deli, or restaurant to work with greater efficiency, no matter how you choose to utilize them.
This type of plastic is commonly used for food bags and utility bags. Because low density polyethylene is breathable, products stored without refrigeration or freezing will not last as long, compared to a polypropylene bag. Though not as strong as HDPE bags, LDPE plastic storage bags are capable of storing bulk food items like fresh vegetables and fruits. Additionally, the clear plastic makes it easy to identify contents, so you can keep up in the fast-paced setting of a commercial kitchen. Highly versatile, the low melting point of LDPE makes these bags popular for use with heat sealing. Like HDPE, LDPE meets FDA/USDA food handling guidelines.
The biggest difference between LLDPE and LDPE plastic bags is that LLDPE food bags have a thinner gauge, but with the same strength. For example, a 0.85 mil thick LLDPE bag has the same strength as a 1.5 mil LDPE bag, allowing the user to "down-gauge" and save money! Similar to LDPE bags, LLDPE bags can be used for storing food in both refrigerators and freezers and the meet FDA/USDA food handling guidelines. These bags also allow for easy identification, and, as a highly versatile product, they are perfect for use in commercial kitchens.
Polypropylene bags combine excellent chemical resistance and strength. Unlike LDPE or LLDPE bags, polypropylene bags are not breathable, resulting in longer product shelf life for retail situations. Items like herbs, nuts, candies, and other confectioneries are perfect for storing in PP bags. Additionally, polypropylene bags are clearer than LDPE or LLDPE bags for enhanced product visibility. PP bags also have a high melting point, meaning they are great for heat sealing, and, similar to the other plastic food bag options, they are FDA/USDA approved.
Gauge is the term used to describe the thickness of a plastic sheet, or in this case, bag. It's usually measured in mil's or microns. Generally, a higher gauge food bag should be used if the contents are particularly sharp or heavy. The higher the gauge mil or micron, the thicker the bag is.
1 mil = 0.001"Related Resources
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