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

from being crushed during shipping, stacking, and handling.

Think of it as a tiny edible airbag!

Potato chips are especially vulnerable to breakage. Without some protective space inside the package, a bag that looks pleasantly full on the store shelf could contain a pile of tiny potato-chip fragments by the time you opened it.

Many snack packages use nitrogen rather than ordinary atmospheric air. Nitrogen helps provide the protective atmosphere while also limiting oxygen exposure, which can help preserve quality and reduce oxidation of fats.

So if your chip bag is puffy right from the store, that can be perfectly