Paper, plastic or mesh bags are all options for the potato buyer, distributor or warehouse to select their choice.

Paper used to be prevalent in the days when everyone bought 10-20-50 pounds of potatoes at a time but mostly went away because of two reasons. One if the bag broke, they had to be placed in another container. This was especially a problem if the bag was moist. Secondly customers could not see the potatoes inside.

Mesh and a combination of mesh and plastic was still the preferred method for the seventies to nineties and some grocery chains, especially in the Northeast still request them. These were typically orange or purple and partially protected the potatoes from turning green due to light while on display.

Plastic, most often with holes, has become the dominant method now. Some are clear and some have a brownish tan tint. It allows for better graphics, printing the nutrition chart on each bag.