Bread clip
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A bread clip is a device used to hold plastic bags (such as the ones presliced bread is commonly packaged in) closed. They are also commonly called bread tags or bread-bag clips. By sealing a bag more securely than tying or folding over its open end, the clip may preserve its contents longer. Sometimes the colour of the tag indicates the day on which it was baked.
There are two different types of bread clips - a more common one-piece plastic clip, and a more complex mechanical clip. One particular design of bread clip is the subject of a patent in the USA.
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[edit] Simple bread clips
Most designs of bread clip consist of a single plastic part through which the neck of a plastic bag can be threaded. Because these bread clips are cheap, ubiquitous, and come in a variety of shapes and colors, some people collect them.
Because this type of bread clip is small and comes attached to food packages, it is sometimes swallowed accidentally by the elderly, which can cause perforation or blockage of the gastrointestinal tract.
In Canada, milk is often sold by the bag; the most common format is three 1.3-liter sealed bags packaged in a surrounding bag. This larger bag is closed by a clip identical to a bread clip, and imprinted with the milk's expected expiration date.
One activity involving bread clips is flicking them. This is done by breaking the bread clip along the line of symmetry by repeated folding, placing the hook-like projection of the clip under the fingernail of the index finger while keeping the clip horizontal (under the presumption that the nail is vertical), pressing the clip into the fingertip to make it stay, placing the thumb on top of the finger, and flicking.
[edit] Mechanical bread clips
A more complex bread clip design involves two articulated plastic parts mounted on a pivot with a spring between them to provide tension.
[edit] Alternatives to bread clips
There are several alternatives to bread clips, including:
- Twist ties
- Sealing the end of the bag by heat-crimping.
- A small piece of plastic heat-crimped around the end of the bag.
- A strip of Adhesive tape.
- Tying off the bag.
[edit] History
The bread clip was invented by Floyd Paxton and manufactured by the Kwik Lok Corporation based in Yakima, Washington with manufacturing plants in Yakima and New Haven, Indiana.
Consumers required packages that can be easily opened and re-closed with ease and packagers wanted a better bag closure method. The bread clip was developed in the early 1950s because there was a growing need to close plastic bags on the packaging line very efficiently. Manufactures using more and more automation in the manufacture and packaging of food needed methods to allow them to raise production volumes and reduce costs. At the same time a hurried (or lazy) population of consumers wanted a fast and easy way to open and effectively seal food bags (originally bread hence the name.) The simple bread clip allowed for that. In addition re-closability became a selling point as smaller families and higher costs slowed consumption, leading to a potential for higher rates of spoilage.
