This question comes up again and again, especially from people storing food or packaging CBD products.
It is a little tricky as people don’t want to accidentally poison themselves.
Considering the concern, mylar bags themselves are not toxic.
The materials used to make mylar bags are PET (plastic, aluminum, polyethylene) and are all approved for food contact by the FDA.
These are the same materials that are used to make water bottles, soda cans, milk jugs, and many other food containers that people use daily without worrying.
The potential problems come from quality control and how you use them, not from the materials themselves.
Where Can Things Go Wrong When Choosing Mylar Bags?
Cheap bags from unknown manufacturers might use non-food-grade materials or inks.
If a bag is not specifically labeled as food-safe, there are high chances it probably was not tested according to FDA standards.
The printing inks used on the outside of the bag can use harmful ingredients or other stuff you do not want in your food.
Compromised or low-quality bags from unknown sellers sometimes use random recycled materials that usually are not supposed to be in contact with food.
They do look like good bags but are made according to the same standards.
These things should be considered when your business is related to food packaging and CBD packaging where the contents will be mixed with edible items and can be ingested.
For storing non-food items, it does not matter a lot even if the bags are not FDA approved.
The Concerns Related To Heat
When you heat-seal a mylar bag, you are melting plastic.
This makes people more worried about the materials used to make it.
But the temperatures used for sealing (around 300 to 400°F for a few seconds) are not high enough to break down the materials or release harmful contents to damage food.
The heat is only used at a small strip at the edge of the bag which does not touch the food packed in it.
The concern comes in where people reheat the food that is sealed in the mylar bags.
This should not be done.
These bags are not made to be reheated or to be used in a microwave.
The metallized layer can be harmful and will and high temperature can make it poisonous.
For takeaway packaging, let extremely hot food cool a little before sealing it in to avoid releasing the harmful substances.
The Mylar Packaging Brings Long-Term Storage Safety
Food stored properly in quality mylar bags stays safe for years.
The bag materials do not mix into contents if they are placed under normal storage conditions like room temperature, dry environment, away from direct sunlight.
Some people worry about plasticizers or BPA.
Food-grade PET does not have BPA, and modern food-safe polyethylene does not need plasticizers.
These concerns are related to older plastic formulations and different types of plastic containers.
Talking about CBD packaging uses, they use mylar bags because it does not interact with cannabinoids or terpenes.
Mylar stops CBD from getting toxic by being exposed to light and oxygen.
Here Is The Practical Advice
Buy bags from the suppliers that are trusted and who clearly make sure the bags are food-safe.
If you are getting them for way less money than other bags, consider this as something to be aware of.
Make sure you use bags for what they are actually made for.
Food-grade bags should be used for food and industrial bags to be used for other related things.
Keep your bags stored somewhere in a normal temperature and avoid putting it in extreme heat.
