List of Best Foods to Store in Mylar Bags

Food items, if not stored properly, are vulnerable to contamination and bacteria, leading to foodborne illnesses such as nausea, diarrhea, and stomach upset. Over the years, several techniques have helped humans to preserve food for a longer period. 

In the modern era, refrigeration and freezing have been common among households and commercial levels. However, depending on the type of food, the techniques can vary, leading to extended shelf life. 

Mylar bags are commonly used to store dry foods with low moisture content. Normally, mylar bags are found in retail and convenience stores to increase the shelf life and market the brand with customization. 

If you are in the food business, custom mylar bags are needed to promote your brand, market your product, and protect food from contamination and other environmental factors. 

In this post, we will discuss:

• What is a mylar bag
• Best foods to store in mylar bags
• How long does food last in mylar bags
• How to store food in mylar bags
• Are mylar bags safe for food storage

Let’s get started. 

What is a mylar bag?

In our recent post, what is a mylar bag, we discussed everything you need to know about these bags. For a brief overview, a mylar bag is the most common packaging used to store dry food and those that contain less moisture content. It is manufactured from polyethylene terephthalate film that helps in making it flexible, transparent, and durable. Mylar bag is a cost-effective packaging solution for businesses dealing in food items that feature non-porous and puncture-resistant properties.

List of Best Foods to Store in Mylar Bags and Shelf Life

Custom mylar bags are ideal for storing a wide range of food items to protect them from moisture, heat, light, and contamination. Generally best foods to store in mylar bags include dry commodities and items with low moisture content such as oats, rice, sugar, flour, and beans. 

Mylar bags are good for packaging vegetables and dried fruits. However, the ideal usage of mylar bags is to store dry food and use an oxygen absorber to further increase the protection and safety of food items resulting in increased shelf life. 

How long does food last in mylar bags?

How long do mylar bags keep food fresh is something people often ask. The simple answer is it depends on what type of food items you want to store. For instance

Dried foods when stored properly in mylar bags can last up to 20-30 years. Some of the examples of dried foods include tea, kidney beans, coffee, pasta, noodles, and many more. 

Whereas rice can be stored for up to 10 years, provided that the temperature is maintained. It can even be stored for up to 30 years if stored in oxygen-free containers in a cool dry place. 

When it comes to refined white flour, it can last over 10 years whereas wheat flour can last up to 5 years. 

Moist foods can have a shelf life of 10 years if stored properly in a mylar bag. However, moist food is not ideal for storing in mylar bags due to the risk of food poisoning. 

Dehydrated fruits and vegetables can also be stored for a longer period ranging from 20-30 years. 

How to Store Food in Mylar Bags?

Mylar bags come in a variety of sizes and can be customized by adding your business logo, designs, and colors. If you are new to the food business and don’t know how to store food in mylar bags - just follow the step-by-step instructions. However, before starting make sure to have a heat sealer, oxygen absorber, bag holder, and mylar bags at your disposal.

Step by Step Instructions to Store Food in Mylar Bags 

• Gather Everything at One Place

To make the process easier, make sure to have all the necessary materials available in one place. Things like mylar bags, food you want to store, oxygen absorbers, and a heat sealers. Open all the bags and move to the next step. 

• Fill the Mylar Bags with Food Items

Once you have opened all the mylar bags, it will be easy for you to just fill them up with the food items. After you have filled them up, make sure to close them with the help of zipper on top. However, if your mylar bags are missing zippers, you can simply seal it the help of iron. 

• Add Oxygen Absorbers

To increase the shelf life of food items stored in mylar bags, you need to add oxygen absorbers. But be careful and count the number of bags you need to fill as oxygen absorbers need to be sealed as quickly as possible to maintain its functionality. The most recommended time to add oxygen absorbers to mylar bags should be last. 

• Seal the Mylar Bags 

No need to purchase any special equipment to seal mylar bags as the iron will be enough to seal them. Once you have sealed the bags, you can now ship them to customers or simply send them to the required convenience and superstores. 

Can You Reuse Mylar Bags?

Mylar bags are made of material that offers flexibility, durability, and tear resistance. You can reuse mylar bags provided that your mylar bags are free from any food items stored in them previously. 

How to Store Pasta in Mylar Bags?

Pasta is demanded by people of every age. That is why retail shelves are filled with pasta offered by different brands. If you want to sell pasta under your business name, you need to store it in mylar bags for increased shelf life. Here is a step by step instructions on how to store pasta in mylar bags. 

Open the Mylar bags

The first step is to open the mylar bags and make sure that they are clean and dry from the inside. 

Place Oxygen Absorbers 

The ideal way to place oxygen absorbers is before filling the mylar bags with pasta. 

Fill Mylar Bags with Pasta 

Once you have placed oxygen absorbers, fill the mylar bags with desired amount of pasta. Make sure to leave some space to allow proper sealing of bags. 

Seal the Mylar Bags 

If you have a heat sealer, you can seal the mylar bags using it. However, you can also use iron to seal the mylar bags. Make sure that there is no room left for the air to pass after sealing each mylar bag. 

Summing Up

So that’s all you need to know about mylar bags. In this detailed post, we have covered what is a mylar bag, a list of foods to store in mylar bags, how to store food and pasta in mylar bags, mylar bag food storage shelf life, and some questions that people normally ask about mylar bags. 

If you want to order custom mylar bags with logo at wholesale prices, you can contact IMH Packaging. We offer free design support along with free lamination and multiple add-ons. Moreover, on placing an order of $99, you can also enjoy free shipping all over the United States.