
You might be wondering: What do Mylar bags do?
Mylar bags protect food and other products by blocking oxygen, moisture, and light. This barrier helps extend shelf life, preserve freshness, and prevent spoilage during storage.
These bags have many uses, and are ideal for storing food long-term (as well as snacks, coffee, supplements, retail packaging, etc.). Mylar is a fantastic barrier against damage from moisture, light, and odor.
What is a Mylar bag and why is it used so much? A Mylar bag is used to package everything from emergency foods to luxury retail packaging. The main reason for using Mylar is because they are a good way to keep food fresh for a longer time. Here is a brief overview of how Mylar bags function and what benefits they can provide.
The Short Answer
Mylar bags help keep products fresh longer, protect against humidity and UV light, and provide strong, durable packaging. They are widely used for food storage, snacks, coffee, and long-term preservation.
The Primary Function of Mylar Packaging
Mylar bags prevent air, moisture, light and odors from getting to the food inside the bag. These four elements are what cause most food to spoil and deteriorate.
Mylar is made from biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate (BoPET), which is a laminated film that is created when a layer of plastic or aluminum is glued to another layer of plastic or aluminum. This construction creates a very tough material that prevents environmental hazards from tainting your packaged food.
Mylar bags can:
- Prevent oxygen from causing food to spoil
- Prevent moisture from getting into the bag
- Protect from ultraviolet light
- Minimize the escape of odors from the bag
- Keep food fresher and maintain its original flavor
By providing protection from outside sources, the food inside a Mylar bag will remain fresh for a longer time.

How Mylar Packaging Helps Protect Your Food and Your Product
An additional benefit of using Mylar bags, is the reduction of oxidation rates. The oxygen in the atmosphere contributes to the "staleness" and/or mold that we see in food that has had too much air contact.
Mylar bags, when properly sealed (esp. when used in conjunction with absorption of oxygen), help lower the overall amount of oxygen still remaining within the sealed bag itself, thereby helping to create an environment conducive to storing foods for longer periods of time.
In addition, Mylar bags help to maintain the taste and texture of food items. Items such as almonds, coffee beans, grains, or other dried items can be kept fresh for weeks or even months when packaged properly.
Another benefit of the reflective exterior layer of Mylar bags is that it helps to keep the contents out of light. As light can degrade items and cause them to lose their desired quality, your food item will remain in relative good condition when packaged within Mylar.
Benefits of Using Mylar Bags for Long-Term Food Storage
The storage of products for an extended period of time starts with using Mylar bags and the absorption of oxygen; Mylar bags provide an excellent way to store products long-term, with the added benefits of increased shelf life and reducing the amount of time until food would otherwise spoil. With suitable packaging, and by eliminating oxygen, foods such as rice, beans, pasta, and nuts can be stored for many years.
1. Excellent Barrier to Moisture
Moisture is one of the biggest causes of food spoilage and is an excellent reason to use Mylar bags. The exceptional barrier from humidity and vapor on Mylar bags help to reduce the chance that any mold will grow on foods stored and help keep their texture.
2. Protection From Ultraviolet Light
Ultraviolet light is one of the biggest reasons nutrients, flavors, and colors in foods degrade. The reflective properties of the Mylar layer keep ultraviolet rays from reaching the contents within the bag.
3. Durable and Strong
Mylar bags are much stronger than regular plastic bags and are puncture-resistant. Mylar bags are suitable for packaged food items as an ideal item for the shipping, retail shelf, and long-term storage.Mylar Bags Used in Various Industries
Many industries use Mylar bags to package products:
- Food storage/emergency prep.
- Coffee/tea.
- Snacks.
- Supplements/powders.
- Cannabis/herbal products.
- Dog treats.
- Freeze-dried items.
Mylar bags are manufactured in an extensive range of size, shape, and thickness, making them suitable for use in many different applications (commercial vs private storage).
Mylar bags help protect products by blocking oxygen and moisture, especially when they are heat sealed to create an airtight environment. If you're wondering how effective that seal actually is, you can learn more about Are Mylar Bags Airtight?
Why Use Them?
Along with preserving their products when using Mylar bags, companies can produce visually appealing packaging that looks professional but also prints well because of the smooth surface of the mylar material. Mylar bags can be printed with either a matte finish, gloss finish, and/or metallic design; and can be cut into any custom size and shape desired for your business use.
Stand up pouches that have a resealable zipper are particularly popular because they offer user convenience along with protecting the product inside.
For companies that sell snack foods, high-quality coffee/tea, or nutritional supplementation products; mylar packaging helps to keep food products fresher, and makes food products look more appealing to the consumer.

Why Many Brands Use Custom Printed Mylar Pouches
A great number of companies are opting to utilize custom printed Mylar pouches as they provide excellent protection for their products while at the same time having an eye-catching appearance.
The pouches can effectively preserve a product’s freshness due to them being made out of a durable plastic material; additionally, through custom printing, the company’s name, product ingredients and other information can be printed directly onto the pouch.
Therefore, they provide a great solution for use in storage and also stand out when displayed at retail locations.
Learn more information on custom printed mylar pouches.
Are Mylar Bags Safe to Store Food?
Yes, it is believed that Mylar bags represent the best food storage method available. When sealed correctly, mylar bags provide an excellent vapor barrier against air and moisture that helps to preserve food quality and shelf life.
Many people use mylar bags in combination with a method called heat sealing and an oxygen absorber to create the best long-term storage system to keep dry foods fresh for years.
When looking for a long-term storage method for foods, it is important to know how mylar bags protect your food. This is an important step towards implementing an effective storage system.
Final Thoughts
Mylar bags provide added protection against air, moisture, light, and environmental contaminants. This form of barrier protection provides a longer shelf-life, maintains food flavor, and keeps products fresher for much longer than using traditional plastic packaging materials.
Mylar bags have become the most common product used for long-term food storage and modern packaging in retail due to their strength, versatility, and excellent protective qualities.
Therefore, whether you are storing dry foods at home or packaging and selling dry foods to consumers, mylar bags are an excellent choice for storing/freshing dry foods!
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