The Old-School Reason Flour Bags Haven’t Changed in Decades
Isn’t it interesting that everything in grocery stores can be found sealed in shiny plastic or sturdy cardboard, yet flour is still in flimsy paper bags? Flour bags really do seem like relics from a previous time, but there’s a reason it has barely changed in nearly a century.
Why Paper Still Wins
Image via Getty Images/Photography by Tonelson
Flour isn’t like chips or cookies that need to keep moisture locked in to stay fresh. It’s a dry good that absolutely hates moisture. Too much of it can cause clumping, spoilage, or worse, mold. Paper bags are cheap and easy to produce, though they don’t protect flour well from air or humidity.
That’s why most home cooks don’t leave flour in its original bag for very long. Once it’s home, it usually gets poured into an airtight container or a jar that seals up tight and keeps it fresh for months.
A Look Back at Flour’s Packaging Past
In the 19th century, flour came in heavy white pine barrels. They were bulky and expensive to ship. By the late 1800s, cotton sacks replaced barrels. Thanks to the sewing machine, sacks were inexpensive to produce and became popular, especially in rural areas.
Families found clever ways to reuse them as clothing, blankets, dish towels, and more. Companies even leaned into the trend by printing designs on the fabric to make the sacks more appealing.
Paper bags didn’t take over until the 1920s and 1940s. They were lighter, cheaper, and made it easier for people to buy flour in smaller amounts. That shift made sense as more families moved into homes with limited storage space. A barrel of flour might have worked for a farmhouse, but it was way too much for a modest kitchen.
The Tradition Factor
Image via Getty Images /Jannoon028
Part of the reason paper bags have stuck around is consumer habit. People expect to see flour in that crinkly sack, just like they expect Spam to come in its little metal can. Changing it now would be strange to shoppers who have built an association between flour and paper.
That packaging also creates a built-in nudge. Because the bag is fragile and awkward to store once opened, it practically forces bakers to move the flour into a sturdier container.
Handling It at Home
If you’re tired of flour clouds when you open the bag, there’s actually a trick. Most flour sacks are stitched closed, with one side sewn in a single stitch and the other in a double. Gently pulling at the single stitch lets you open the bag smoothly instead of ripping it and sending dust everywhere. Setting the bag on parchment or wax paper also makes cleanup easier since any spills can be funneled right into the jar.