Why Are Some Food Packages Bloated? The Surprising Difference Between a Normal Bag of Chips and a Potential Food Safety Warning.

turning into crumbs before they reach your kitchen.

But when a package containing a perishable food suddenly becomes swollen when it wasn’t designed that way, that’s a different story.

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So, what does bloated packaging really mean? And more importantly, when should you keep the food and when should you

throw it away?

Let’s take a closer look.

Why Are Some Food Packages Filled With Air?

That big, puffy bag of chips isn’t necessarily wasting space.

The air—or more accurately, the gas mixture used during packaging—can serve a practical purpose. It creates a cushion around delicate foods, helping protect them