# Cotton Candy Shelf Life

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cotton-candy-shelf-life/262325>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 30, 2004, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cotton-candy-shelf-life/262325 "2004-08-30T23:57:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Weez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@Weez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weez)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cotton-candy-shelf-life/262325/1 "2004-08-30T23:57:07Z")

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Hi all,  
I;m wondering how long cotton candy will keep its shape and taste in a store wile in a normal plastic bag, which would be either heat sealed or "twist tied’ air tight…

Thanks,

Weez

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**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\
**Post date:** [August 31, 2004, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cotton-candy-shelf-life/262325/2 "2004-08-31T00:49:14Z")

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Cotton candy is nothing more than sugar and a little coloring.  
If packaged and sealed in a DRY atmosphere it should keep at least a week or two and perhaps up to a month. Most plastic films will transpire a little moisture which is the enemy of cotton candy.

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**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\
**Post date:** [August 31, 2004, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cotton-candy-shelf-life/262325/3 "2004-08-31T02:44:54Z")

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Moisture is the nemesis of cotton candy. Heat sealing in an impermiable plastic plastic bag would probably give a shelf life of 4-6 weeks, as with these [‘FLUFFL’ tubs](http://www.tradegold.com/a1/). Still, you’d still have the problem of passers-by mashing the bags and wrecking the stuff. I doubt that twist ties would would give you a good enough seal.

[This link won’t help you much](http://www.dvdverdict.com/printer/killerklowns.php), but I liked what it had to say:

> [@](#):
>
> cotton candy is not for eating…it’s for storing the dead bodies of local townsfolk!

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**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\
**Post date:** [August 31, 2004, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cotton-candy-shelf-life/262325/4 "2004-08-31T02:52:37Z")

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So I hit the reply button, close the window, and up pops another window with lots of cotton candy bags, containers and closures.  
[Here it is](http://www.concessionstands.com/items.asp?Cc=COTACCFB).