Potatoes will often go green when they’re not stored properly and they’re exposed to light.
This is due to formation of chlorophyll (which is found in all green plants). However, as potatoes turn green they also form a a toxin called solanine. The green colour is an indicator that solanine levels may be reaching a level that is harmful to humans.
All over greening is typically caused when potatoes are improperly stored at home or sit on display at your grocery store . While the bright lights make it easy to shop and the produce look beautiful, those same lights cause the potatoes to start turning green.
That said, you are unlikely to ingest enough solanine from eating green potatoes to do you any serious harm.
If you are worried about wasting food, you can peel away the greening (a little won’t hurt) and use the potatoes as you normally would. However, if these potatoes taste bitter after peeling, then it’s best not to eat them.
Snopes has a very good article on the subject. Are Green Potatoes Poisonous?
I have. two bags of your potatoes bought from Costco. we are confused how is the best way to store them so 1) they dont turn green and 2) they dont rot and go mouldy. Do we keep them in the original bag or should we transfer them to a wooden box or paper bag and store in dark location?
Thanks for your question! We recommend keeping them in a cool, dry place away from light sources. The bags themselves will help block the light but can speed up aging if there is not enough air flow. You can remove from the bag for longer term storage.
I seem to be cutting away alot of potato cause they are so green . they are like that from as soon as we get them home. Potatoes are getting more and more expensive and I don’t appreciate getting maybe 6lbs of potatoes ourt of a 10 lb bag. And I’m wondering about long term affects from eating even some green and lots ( especially in this last 10lb bag ) are green all the way through . And this last batch -just about #/4 were very green throughout. I think the government should look into this. They don’t know what problems they may be causing people. We never used to get potatoes like we do now. . Some are rotten in the bags and the rot spreads to the other potatoes. I am 76 years old and until the last 10 years we didn’t get the garbage vegetables and fruit we do now – and these are canadian potatoes.
Hi Bonnie, All over greening is typically caused when potatoes sit on display at your grocery store. While the bright lights make it easy to shop and the produce look beautiful, those same lights cause the potatoes to start turning green. They should have been discarded by the store long before you purchased them. We will send you an email regarding the green potatoes so we can look into it further.
if it was a small amount of green as the pic shows , I wouldn’t be concerned but most times it is almost the whole or a good part of the potato that is green.