It’s become somewhat of a running joke to assume that potato chip bags are filled almost entirely with air. But, seriously, there’s nothing as disappointing as popping open a fresh bag and finding it contains only about half the amount of chips you were expecting to find.
As big of a letdown as this is, there’s actually a simple explanation as to why most snack brands fill their bags with only about half the amount of chips they could feasibly contain. This frustrating phenomenon serves a very important purpose in guaranteeing the quality and quantity of every bag of chips and other snacks we find in local supermarkets.
The “air” in potato chip bags isn’t actually air at all
There’s a common misconception that most bags of chips are filled with air. As experts have pointed out, chip bags don’t include any air. Rather, they contain a healthy supply of nitrogen to help preserve the quality of the chips, ensuring the flavor, texture, aroma, and color remain intact for longer periods of time.
Several explanations across social media explain that nitrogen can significantly extend the shelf life for most bagged chips so long as they aren’t exposed to the air. Once the bags themselves have been opened, the nitrogen escapes, meaning the chips are at greater risk of growing stale due to the moisture in the air.
Insulation for travel and transport
It makes a good deal of sense hearing the exact reason why nitrogen is included in packaged chips, but most shoppers might still wonder why such a significant portion of the bag features the gas in the first place. Sure, preserving the shelf life and taste of the chips is important, but couldn’t snack brands still figure out a way to include more chips per bag?
In addition to protecting the flavor and crispness of the chips, the significant amount of nitrogen in each bag insulates the snacks from damage incurred during shipping and transport. Just as delicate items we order from Amazon are shipped with a generous amount of packing peanuts and bubble wrap, the nitrogen added to packaged snacks helps encase the chips, preventing them from cracking, splitting, or breaking en route to stores.
As one Reddit user clarified, “It's important to have a lot of gas, otherwise the chips would be easily crushed during transit. Because transit costs depend heavily on the weight of the cargo, and gas is incredibly light, they can afford to use a lot of it in the packaging.”
Bottom line
We can all certainly agree how underwhelming it is to crack open a bag to find half of the chips already missing. But when looking at the science behind each chip bags’ generous supply of nitrogen, it becomes clear that the fewer amount of chips is necessary for providing the best final product.
Without nitrogen, every bag of chips we buy from the supermarket wouldn’t have the same satisfying crunch and signature flavor. For this reason, it’s essentially a necessary evil in order to prioritize quality and value at the cost of a few extra chips per serving.
