Very interesting! I have not read through the comments, but those bags are not mylar bags. They are metalised deposited bags, those bags had atomized aluminum deposited on their surface. You can tell because they are almost mirror shiny. Real mylar aluminum bags are silver but dull, they have an actual layer of aluminum foil bonded between plastic. When in doubt hold the bag up to the light, metalised bags, you can see through. Aluminum foil, you cannot. If the bag is super shiny, treat it with suspicion.
Technically metallised film and aluminium laminate are both mylar, unfortunately the difference is rarely mentioned. Metallised film mylar offers controlled permeability to moisture, oxygen and light over a few years. Ok for crisps on a store shelf but not for 20+ year food storage. The aluminium laminate mylar has zero permeability to oxygen, moisture and light, perfect for long term storage. Not a single video in RU-vid mentions this difference, only your comment so far, well done.
In 2011, I bought 3.5 mil mylar bags, 300cc oxygen absorbers, and a heat sealer from Amazon. I bought 10 5-gallon buckets/lids from another vendor. I filled the buckets with mylar bags containing rice and beans. It has been 10 years and I was disappointed to find many of my bags are now transparent but oxygen absorbers appear to have done their jobs in them. They are heavy like bricks and the rice can be seen through the bags. However, other bags have air as though I didn't add oxygen absorbers in them. In 2011, I know all bags had a tight seal and I could see the oxygen was sucked out of them leaving the bags heavy like bricks. As you mentioned, it's likely due to poor quality mylar bags. I was concerned about eating what I stored after seeing the outcome, so I'm grateful you made a video to shed light on this. It's unfortunate I have to toss everything out, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I have discovered dry canning in mason jars a few months ago. The gal in the video claims food will last 15+ years. I have read comments where folks said their grandparents used to can this way and the food still tasted fresh after 20 years in the pantry, so this will be my new method to store long term food. The mylar bag experience has taught me to check on my preps more frequently and rotate what I store. I will definitely check on my jars from dry canning throughout the year to ensure the integrity of the sealed lids. Thanks again for taking the time to make a video on your findings :) May God bless you!
Thanks very much for watching and commenting. You did similar to how we started. My first mylar bags that were thinner mostly failed with rice in them. The thicker bags are still fine. I didn't have a problem with them leaking air. I like the idea of canning jars but they are very difficult to store in large quantities. My plan also is to check regularly and replace any bad products that I find. Have a great day, Calvin and Marie
I buy 7 ml or 7.5 ml bags. Pleasant Grove Farms, Top Mylar, Discount Mylar and Harvest Right all carry 7 ml bags. Good luck everyone and kudos for storing food! Love it! Thanks for this informative video. Greatly appreciated!
USA emergency supply carries 5 mil mylar. They aren't cheap but the food and the preservation is worth the extra dollars. Thanks for sharing this video! I can imagine lots of folks running to check their bags right now
Yes! Ty for the video. I would have never known if this issue. I will make sure I don't buy cheap bags. Which brand do you recommend, and how are you sealing your bags? (Will explore your channel more for answers)
The same thing happened to some of my Mylar sealed rice. I agree that its a poor quality. I learned my lesson. Cheap price, cheap quality. Thanks for the video 😁 Much Aloha 🌴🤙🏽🌋
Thank you for the very helpful video. Shows that you should only buy quality and the heavier bags. And should check your food storage every now and again. Very helpful. Thank you!
Thanks very much for watching and commenting. It's better to find our mistakes now than later when we might need the supplies. Have a great week, Calvin and Marie
I totally agree with you on that, I was made fun of, for stocking up 4yrs before the pandemic, and what happened, PPL were coming to me for help, because they couldn't find things. But thank you for that info, I would've never thought that could happen, always trying to say a penny or two, we always look for bargains. Thank you!!!
Dont ever tell ANYONE about your preps, its only going to cause HUGE problems. If you give someone food who wasnt smart enough to prep even one time they wont stop coming back until all your food is gone and you both starve. And if you think you'll turn them away after only giving them food once think again. The nicest people will kill you to get your preps if they are starving
You just saved me a bundle of money. This confirms the see through bags allow light to taint food. Your info is detailed and the lighting was great. You speak clearly at an understandable pace, which I muchly appreciate. Thank you!
Thanks so much for this video...I am just now starting to look in to this and I had ordered the thin Mylar bags, so I was able to return them thanks to watching this in time
@@SouthernCountryLiving I would send this video to the company you bought the bags from. You deserve a refund on not only the bags, but other things that may have gone bad.
Thank you for sharing this valuable information. I'm new to storing goods in Mylar bags, so I want to learn as much as possible and what to look for. Again, thank you. I love your Georgia accent by the way. I'm from New York City and we love a good Georgia accent. 😃
Thanks Dan, yes I was very surprised to see that when I opened the bucket. My lesson learned to buy high quality mylar bags. Enjoy your evening, Calvin and Marie
Ooops!! This comment was for today's video!!! I didn't pay attention that I was commenting on a totally different video. Hi Marie and Calvin. Thank you for taking us with y'all. Ahhwww... "commode"...how cuuuute! I haven't heard that one in years! That's something that making the bed hurt you like that, Marie. I copied and pasted this comment to today's video.
Sorry that happened to your rice! I guess that's all part of the learning process. I'm so glad to hear the food you had stored was able to get you through your time of need. Sound like you are doing all the right things! The lighting was fine for your video. Thanks for sharing!
thanks for this video! it's useful to share what doesn't work as well. I'm sorry this happened but glad you could see this while able to replace the food and able to get better mylar. I'm new at this so hope I can do it right. Not much extra money and getting late start- rice and beans for quickest start. I read to definitely keep mylar bags with food in plastic buckets too bc mylar not rodent resistant. (Or puncture resistant either as my cat jumped up wanting to see what I was doing and messed up my bag I sealed well! Had to start over)
Thanks for watching, yes it is important to prepare as much as possible. That was my first buckets I put away. Hopefully the rest will be ok. Good luck with yours. Calvin
I've never seen that before I definitely wouldn't eat that rice knowing that the coloring from that bag had to go somewhere. I'm going to have to check all of my bags.
I agree with you. I went back and checked several of my buckets and found more bags like that. They were all the thin bags. Learned my lesson there. I will only buy the thicker heavier bags from now on.
I hope our bags don't do that but they could. I will make sure that I try to get good ones. I bought a lot of ours off Ebay as well. It seems like some were better than the others as well! You never know what your buying now. Like you said, you just never know when you might need to cash in on your storage. Have a Blessed Day Calvin and Marie!
New subscriber from White plains Georgia💚🌱 Thank you so much for the information 🌺 Reading comments about the aluminum I think I'll figure something else out. Lol I'll have the rice and beans ate before I figure it out 😂💚💚💚🇺🇸
Thanks for watching. Yes we are still storing food in mylar bags but I still like having a lot of variety with all kinds of canned food. Have a great week, Calvin and Marie
Don't eat that food. That metal used is aluminum, and you can be poisoned by aluminum in various ways. I've heard it's also linked to Alzheimer's disease. Looks like there was no inner layer of PET to sandwich the aluminum, which is what you need for long term food storage bags. I'm doing research on food storage with Mylar bags, and this is great to know. I got my bags from my local preparedness store, but that's a good reason to check on things.
Thanks for watching and commenting. I definitely didn't eat any of the rice. I did put the others bags in a separate container to keep for future checking to see how far it degrades. I put a note in the container to warn not to eat that food. Have a great weekend, Calvin and Marie
How could you heat seal them if they where only aluminum? Isn't it plastic coated in aluminum, with most myler bags? And isn't the melted plastic from heat the reason the bags seal?
WTH? That cannot possibly be mylar! It doesn't look or behave like Mylar. This is why I always use the thickest mylar I can buy. Thanks for sharing; it's so important that we know how to safely store what we purchase.
A proper Mylar bag has aluminum in it which will not fade in color. The color fading means the bag is not made of aluminum, just some artificial silvery coloring chemicals. Don't eat that rice!
@@SouthernCountryLiving Hi there I was wondering if you recommended any brand in particular of mylar bags so this won't happen to us can you help out thank you for sharing May God bless your family and you the best wishes.
@@iserrano397 I bought a large supply of the thick mylar bags several years ago and I haven't ran out yet. I bought them off of Ebay but I don't remember who I got them from.
I just received 5 mil from Wallaby and are mylar bags supposed to smell weird? Ick! I would think the food stored inside would end up taking on the odor.
I had a problem with mylar bags too but mine was because, (I believe) I used a ruler to push all of the air out of the bag. I must have compromised the bag. Since then I have been vac-u sealing in jars and bags. I use the money I saved using this method and can buy the precut bags. This also saves a lot of time because I don't have to measure and /or seal both ends. Joan in Fl
This is very good information. If people have gone to the cost and trouble putting down supplies, they should at least have a safe product to put them away with.
Thanks for the update. Figured the Mylar was just inferior quality. I don't think there's anything wrong with the rice. It's the same as sealed in a vacuum seal bag. I would eat it. We store for at least 3 years too. We're there now and out of storage space. Lol. Just subscribed. Blessings.
Thanks for watching. I think the rice is probably ok to eat also. I would probably rinse it thoroughly before cooking it. When it comes to survival you will do a lot of things that you never though that you would do. Thanks for subbing. Have a great weekend, Calvin and Marie
Since the bags only faded where it was in contact with the food shows some kind of reaction between the food and bag. The rest of the bag with no contact with food was fine. I would absolutely not eat that food unless there was some kind of safety testing and a good scientific explanation as to how and why the bag reacted with the rice the way it did.
Yes check your bags, some are only for a few years, I've learned that food saver compatible bags are not long storage bags, 5ml.i buy through eBay with a company that is prepper owned and operated with tons of info, they will tell you ahead what bag must be used if you contact the seller. Thank you for your report sir 💜💜 blessings to you and your wife for taking in sometime else during hard times that's what I call good people 💜💜💜💜💜💜
Thanks for Sharing, But I Would Not Eat That Rice.. In A Survival Situation, You Need to stay Healthy and Strong as Possible.. If you get Sick, Then You will have another Problem.. Now I Respect Your Opinion to eat it.. But This is Just How I feel, I Thank you so much for your Updates!! Have a Beautiful Weekend!
Thanks Linda, you are right about that. I would only eat it as a very last resort. I pray that life never gets that bad for any of us. Have a great weekend, Calvin and Marie
I vaccume seal with the clear bags then put in a bucket. And my prep room is always cool and dark. This is the reason why I do a yearly check on my preps and an inventory list of how many preps I have. Rather throw away bad preps when I have money to replace items. ;)
Just me guessing here, but they sell mylar bags with clear windows so you can see inside. So if you were storing in a dark place the food & the seal held the vacuum, I wouldn't think the food is bad. Any other thoughts on this?
I think it would help if you gave us some advice on where to get the good Mylar bags. I was almost ready to click buy it now on eBay. I decided to find out the difference in the bags. I saw several different mil sizes. I went to RU-vid and just watched your video. So now I know to not just buy them. But I do not know what I am looking for. Thank you for taking the time to make this video
I bought my bags years ago. The first ones were thin, I only bought about 25 of them. They held up good for everything except the rice. My second purchase was for 500 bags that were 5mil thick. They are holding up good. Like I said, I bought them years ago and I don't remember who I bought them from. Calvin
Can you use plastic zip bags inside the mylar one to protect food from bag discolouration. Ive just started with Mylar and brought cheap ebay ones too, so I will try it out on my prepping
I was thinking the same thing. I think it would work but I don't know for sure. The cheap thin mylar bags seem to be working fine on dry beans and other items. The only thing I had problems with was rice. Good luck with your prepping. Have a great weekend, Calvin and Marie
Southern Country Living , the point of PROPER Mylar is the foil creates a barrier to the oxygen. By using CHEAP eBay bags, that look like they have foil in them, you end up with what happened to your rice. Now I’m not sure if the rice was off or not but, oxygen would definitely make its way through that bag over time. Putting a bag inside a bag is better,but still not adequate. The cheapest way of doing this properly is to buy the more expensive genuine Mylar bag right from the start. The piece of mind in itself makes it worth it.
How does buying a thicker bag ensure that what happened on this video won't happen to them as well? I thank you for the time you have put into this long term documentation
Thanks for watching. We have rice stored in the thicker bags from the same year and they are fine. When it comes to prepping, nothing is guaranteed but we just have to try to do what is best for the budget that we can afford. Calvin and Marie
I'm here because I just checked some flower we put up in 2011. I had two 5 gallon bags that the side seam on the bag opened up. Thats the seam from the manufacture. This is not good. They were even in buckets. I recommend checking your storage a few times a year.
I talked to a bag manuf and he said that most of the mylar itself is made overseas, and US manufs make the bags from overseas mylar. It is all about the thickness of the mylar. HTH
Just found your video, I have a thought, I have seen other people who have used acidic foods that have removed the fake alu coating from the bag when they do this. I did a Google search and it confirms rice is on the acidic side not alkaline side. My thoughts also are how much moisture had the rice absorbed through natural means, like natural "bad weather" humidity? Bacteria wouldn't grow as the oxygen would be removed but it could leech its acidity perhaps due to different barometric pressure creating the rice to have a thin layer of condensation inside during different weather and heat cycles?
I'm wondering... The bags look like they may have been manufactured inside out? Isn't the inside supposed to be touching plastic, and the outside the reflective material?
Thanks for watching. That is exactly how you do it. In case of an emergency or just hard times and you will be very proud that you got started being prepared. Have a great week, Calvin and Marie
I think the silver coating is not in contact with the food. The inside of the bag is a type of plastic because it melts and makes a seal. I *think* the silver part of it is on the outside, because it doesn't melt onto the hot sealing iron.
I've already discarded of the old ones that went bad so I have no way of checking. The thicker mylar bags don't have any problems and they are as old as the others. Have a great week, Calvin and Marie
Mylar that is Military grade or meets Military specifications is the ONLY way to go! You get what you pay for & they've already done the testing and research to develop their successful specifications.
@@SouthernCountryLiving how would you tell the difference? I'm new and not familiar with "metallized film bags"- not sure what they're supposed to be for. I read that Mylar should be at least 5 mm for long term storage, 7 mm best if can afford it.
Thanks for watching. I bought those bags many years ago so there is no way that I can remember what thickness they were. I only bought a small amount of them because they cost less. When I bought the others that were much better I realized that I didn't want any more of the thin ones. Have a great week, Calvin and Marie
That is strange. I wonder if any fumes from the mylar got into the rice. Did you pull a vacuum on the buckets before you sealed the lids? I have no experience at doing this just asking questions. I am glad your food storage helped you make it through.
That was my concern that the mylar chemical was absorbed by the rice. I didn't vacuum the bucket. I had thought about putting a big oxygen absorber in the buckets but I decided that they probably didn't need it. I was very surprised when I saw what had happened, but I'm glad I discovered it now instead of later. Have a great weekend, Calvin and Marie
Just saying that you gotta use higher quality bags it's not specific enough is the mil rating Of the bag that is important you should not use anything that's under 5 mil! Personally I prefer to use at least seven or eight mil
Wow got to question eating traces of aluminum for sure. I thought food storage mylar bags are plastic on the inside (mylar) and aluminum on the outside so the aluminum should not be with the food. I suppose it's really hard to tell with direct from China Ebay sales. You never know what you might get and if it's safe to begin with. What if it's said to be BPA free but it's just a lie. Pretty common Ebay confusion, low standards in China and issues purchasing from potentially a seller living in an apartment in China with minimal regulations. I bought Sony headphones from Amazon and a Roland professional microphone from Ebay, a few years ago, both well rated 3rd party sellers and both were fakes. When I questioned the headphones seller and pointed out the dollar store comparison there was no dispute, they just returned my money and asked I give a good review of their company experience for doing so! Lots of sellers continue the fake sales and get away with false ratings.
The rice is fine, but the mylar bag you were using looks like it might not be a mylar bag, The aluminum layer or coating should not fade like that. I would guess the bag is a low quality bag but it was still sealed. Don't buy cheap bags is the moral of this story! I haven't seen that shiney chrome like myler, duller ones like you show later are the ones I use. And if you can get made in the USA, you will probably be a lot better off.
Thanks for watching. These were stored in a dedicated room for storing food. We had rice from the same time in the thicker bags and they were fine. It was just the thinner bags broke down over time. Thankfully I had only bought a few of those bags. Have a great weekend, Calvin and Marie
Could you please share which brands you use and from which site? I've stocked canned goods and boxed food but am new to using mylar bags. This video was very helpful.
Question. I just started putting food back. Most of my Mylar bags don’t suck down tight. I pushed most air out and but o2 absorber in and seal with an iron. Seal isn’t the prettiest, maybe I’m not getting it airtight but I iron the crap out of them. Any ideas?
Thanks very much for watching. I use a piece of wood under my mylar bag and I keep it as smooth as possible before using the iron to seal it with. Is this happening on on of your bags? If so then your o2 absorbers may be bad. They have to be stored in an airtight container or they will go bad also. Good luck with them. Have a great week, Calvin and Marie
Having dealt with computer parts for many years, this thought never crossed my mind until you suggested it. I think that you are probably right about that.
