American researchers, at Harvard and Duke universities in the United States, studied data on the purchases of customers of an American grocery store, comparing the data of those who brought their bags to stores with that of customers who used the plastic bags. available at the cash desk. The results showed a surprising correlation between bringing the reusable bags and buying unhealthy food. According to the study’s results, those who brought the reusable bags with them to the supermarket were more likely to purchase foods loaded with sugar and high in calories.
The authors concluded, “In summary, bringing your own bags to the supermarket would change the way you shop. “
The study’s authors suggest that reusable bags make people want to buy greedy but unhealthy foods : we feel more virtuous by using bags that are good for the environment and we are therefore more likely to think that we deserve a little indulgence.
Better choice for the environment, but perhaps not for the line, this study suggests that ecological bags could influence the quantity and the quality of our purchases at the supermarket.
