# Foil bags **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [March 2, 2000, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foil-bags/1612 "2000-03-02T20:30:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JoeyBlades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a87d85/32.png) [@JoeyBlades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeyBlades)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2000, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foil-bags/1612/1 "2000-03-02T20:30:00Z")
In article: [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mfoilbag.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mfoilbag.html) Doug writes: > [@](#): > > Evidently, the folks at Kellogg’s decided that these cereals got stale too quickly inside the normal bags, suggesting that water vapor can penetrate them. Therefore, they developed the foil-lined bags (which would indeed be impermeable) and solved the problems that way. Picking nits… The foil bags are actually a type of Mylar laminate where the inner layer is a thin aluminum film. Mylar and Mylar laminates were developed by DuPont, **NOT** Kelloggs, and are indeed used because they are gas impermeable. Sorry, just stiving for accuracy… ---
**Author:** ![JoeyBlades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a87d85/32.png) [@JoeyBlades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeyBlades)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2000, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foil-bags/1612/2 "2000-03-02T20:33:00Z")
Oops! Make that “Striving” for accuracy. ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2000, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foil-bags/1612/3 "2000-03-02T21:08:00Z")
Darn!!! I thought it was to keep interstellular Gremlins out. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2000, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foil-bags/1612/4 "2000-03-04T06:36:00Z")
I can’t believe anyone actually asked this question; I reasoned it out for myself when my age was still a single digit! * * * John W. Kennedy “Compact is becoming contract; man only earns and pays.” – Charles Williams ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2000, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foil-bags/1612/5 "2000-03-03T20:09:00Z")
JoeyBlades, I don’t think it was DuPont that thought to make cereal bags out of the stuff. I think _that_ was Kellogg’s idea. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2000, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foil-bags/1612/6 "2000-03-03T20:17:00Z")
By the way, this is a mailbag article, not Cecil column. Moderator! ---
**Author:** ![JoeyBlades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a87d85/32.png) [@JoeyBlades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeyBlades)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2000, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foil-bags/1612/7 "2000-03-03T21:44:00Z")
Irishman, Right, but Doug wrote "they developed the foil-lined bags " implying that Kelloggs had done the developing… ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2000, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foil-bags/1612/8 "2000-03-04T00:15:00Z")
Well, perhaps they developed the _bags_ as opposed to the _material_? (Just doing my part to help Doug weasel out on a technicality ;)) ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2000, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foil-bags/1612/9 "2000-03-04T01:51:00Z")
Back in the olden days,They were foil with a paper backing. Heavier than the kind used for gum and cigarettes. I believe they had some sort of wax on them too. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2000, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foil-bags/1612/10 "2000-03-04T13:51:00Z")
This is not actually a column by Cecil, but by the loyal Straight Dope Science Advisory Staff, namely, Cecil’s Mailbag. I have therefore closed it here and transferred it to the appropriate forum (COMMENTS ON MAILBAG ARTICLES). ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2000, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foil-bags/1612/11 "2000-03-04T13:53:00Z")
This is actually in reference to an article in the Mailbag section, so I am closing the topic here and moving it to the appropriate forum (COMMENTS ON MAILBAG ARTICLES).