What are self-seal bags?
Self-seal bags are polythene bags that are closed by squeezing an interlocking plastic seal that runs across the top of the bag. The same seal is pulled apart gently to open the bag.
This re-usable seal allows self-seal bags - also known as resealable bags, mini grip bags or grip-seal bags - to used repeatedly, avoiding leakage and providing protection from external contamination without the need for any kind of bag sealer (e.g. tape, clip, staple), thus differentiating them from standard polythene bags.
Blessed are the cheesemakers, for they shall use self-seal bags
You may have noticed more and more food producers using resealable polythene bags to package their food in recent years, in a bid to win over consumers by allowing them to keep their food fresh for longer.
Cheesemakers have been at the forefront of the move to self-seal bags, with Cathedral City among those to lead the way, but you will also find resealable bags being used from products as diverse as Bird's Eye Field Fresh Garden Peas and Cadbury's Creme Egg Splats.
Richard Clothier, managing director of cheesemaker Wyke Farms, who introduced grip-seal packs to its cheese in 2009, believes the benefits of producing resealable packs outweigh the extra costs involved in manufacturing the packaging.
"Aside from being convenient and retaining the branding throughout the life of the product, reseal prevents the use of secondary packaging in the home such as cling film and foil," Clothier told packagingnews.co.uk.
"Reseal costs the manufacturer more money, but we see it as a marketing investment in the same way that we would view investment in more flavours and better quality. It's part of the package."
What some people say about self seal bags
I am relatively new on packaging suppliers and am thinking about trying FBA. I make handmade soft toys so need to package them in self seal bags so they don't acquire damaged or soiled at the warehouse and that I can then stick a barcode label on to. Can anyone recommend a supplier that does smaller quantities? The dimensions of my toys are 18cm x 15cm x 5cm.
6. Antistatic Grip Seal Bags
Sure, we all want to cut down the weight we transport when riding out mountain bikes, nevertheless there are a few necessities you're not going to want to leave the house without. These bike accessories are necessary to retain you safe, and to bail you out in the event of a mechanical issue or flat tire. In other words, you're better off dropping a couple pounds, or grammes certainly from your beer belly instead of leaving these tools in your garage. Many of the mountain bikers here at evo like to proceed lightweight, putting more of these accessories on our bikes, in mountain bike fanny packs , or on-frame gripper bags instead of a fat backpack. But we still have these necessities with us on the trail.
grip & zip seal grip seal bags are also known as gripper bags, grippa bags or minigrip bags and are a popular type of reusable self sealing bag. optimal where you want to secure contents and avoid leakage or pollution, grip seal bags have a simple plastic ridge that clicks shut and pulls open for continual re use. slider & zip bags have a closure with a plastic zip that enables you to slide
Banner have donated carton boxes and minigrip bags to Havercroft and Ryhill Community Centre in Yorkshire, who have been working hard to assist their local community. This donation helped the team transport food to the vulnerable amid this challenging time.
Economical Self-Seal Bags - 5 x 8" - 4 Mil - Case of 1000
Economical Self-Seal Bags - 5 x 8" - 4 Mil - Case of 1000
Grip Seal Bags Plain 75 x 85mm GL-03 (Pack of 1000)
Grip Seal Bags Plain 75 x 85mm GL-03 (Pack of 1000) £3.84 (£3.20 ex VAT) - In stock Clear re-sealable bags. Interlocking seal for secure closure. Made of transparent plastic for transparent view of contents. Format: 75. Pack of 1000 bags
High quality Ziplock bags. Standard, and customised. All bags are 100% food grade Virgin material for use with food, medical items, household item, hardware items, and much more. View our normal and printed part of the mini grip bags.
Self seal bags are a low density polyethylene bag with a snap-locking seal panel at the top of the bag. The seal is sealed, reusable and easy to seal by hand which makes this type of bag optimal for packaging and storing small objects. Self seal bags are food safe and dust, dirt and moisture proof to keep safe the products inside.
Turning now to the operation of the inflation valves 8 and 10 these comprise sleeves 30 and 78 respectively, which act as pistons, having co-axial tubes 34 and 76 located within them. The sleeves 30 and 78 can transport axially about the tubes 34 and 76, against the bias of springs 31 and 84 respectively. The sleeves 30 and 78 have grooves 37 and 120 machined in their inner walls, and tubes 34 and 76 have "O" rings 36 and 80, arranged so that a clearance exists between the "O" rings 36 and 80 and the groove bottoms 37, and 120 when the "O" rings are located mid method along the groove. In operation the inflation valve 8 and 10 are normally open. However when compressed air is fed into the appropriate gripper bag, the pressure builds up, and acts on the stop faces of the sleeves 30 and 78. When the pressure reaches a predetermined value, the sleeves are forced back against the bias of springs 31 and 84 causing the "O" rings to engage the proper hand edge of the grooves Polybags"O" ring 80 and the edge of groove 134. Thus these valves prevent above inflation of the gripper bags, since they cut off the compressed air supply to the gripper bags when the pressure in the gripper bags exceeds a predetermined value. When the exhaustion valves are actuated the inflation valves are closed, in this situation the inner tubes 30 and 76 transport so that the "O" rings 36 and 80 engage the left hand edge of the grooves 37 and 120 Polybags"O" ring 80 engages groove edge 133. This again closes off the inflation valve, and ensures that the compressed air supply is isolated from atmosphere amid bag exhaustion. It will be understood that the exhaustion valves are actuated by movement of the gripper bag assembly relative to the respective inner tubes 76 and 30.
It's a WRAP - report finds self-seal bags are a winner with consumers
A March 2013 report by the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), a government-funded not-for-profit company tasked with increasing recycling and reducing waste, found that consumers are in favour of re-closable packs.
The paper, entitled 'Consumer Attitudes to Food Waste and Food Packaging', reported that consumers viewed re-closable packs as the most useful packaging innovation available to them.
Presented with 13 "recent changes to food packaging" and asked to choose up to four that "are/would be most useful", 56% of respondents chose re-sealable packaging.
The report also found that, when presented with two cheeses - one packaged in a resealable pack and the other in a non-resealable pack - two-thirds (67%) of consumers chose the resealable option. Their reasons for the choice were as follows:
- The top reason for choosing either option was a preference for how the packaging looked (18% mentioning this for the normal pack, 33% for the re-closable pack).
- Of those who chose the re-closable pack, 20% said they did so for exactly that reason (despite the fact the text was not enlarged in any way, i.e. they recognised or were looking for this functionality).
Source: Consumer Attitudes to Food Waste and Food Packaging - WRAP, March 2013
Top 5 practical uses for self-seal bags
- Save time at airport security by buying yourself a clear self-seal bag and arranging your toiletries for your hand luggage before you set off for the airport. Watch with a smug grin on your face while other passengers lose their place in the queue as you waltz by
- Take a self-seal bag on your trip to the beach, swimming pool or fun park (one with water rides) and use it keep your camera and other valuables waterproof while you're all having a whale of a time splashing about in the water
- Staying on the theme of water, large self-seal bags are a great way to keep your wet swimming costume and towel away from your dry clothes after a trip to the swimming pool or the beach. If big enough, you could even use the same bag as that used to keep your valuables dry - just make sure you've taken them out of the bag first!
- Chop up your half-time orange wedges before the big match and stick them in a self-seal bag before putting them into your kit bag. This will leave you free to concentrate on the half time team talk, rather than worrying about chopping up oranges on the touchline, plus it will keep your kit free from orange juice!
- For all you chefs out there, your self-seal bag is a handy tool in the kitchen. Use it to shake up the ingredients for a delicious salad dressing, or do the same for a marinade before adding the meat or fish straight to the bag. This same technique can be applied to dry coatings (e.g. breadcrumbs, fajita spice mix) provided your self-seal bag is clean and dry!
