DE69319892T2 - SINGLE-LAYER, FAT-PROTECTING AND FLEXIBLE PAPER PACKING FOR POPCORN - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates generally to packages for use in microwave ovens, and more particularly relates to an expandable bag having protection against grease leakage and/or against wicking from its expansion folds or pleats, and/or to a flexible popcorn package made from a single ply of greaseproof paper.

When microwave popcorn packages using a microwave popper were first introduced, the packages were typically formed by expandable cardboard containers, and often the contents of the microwave popcorn popper package were placed in a plastic bag which was housed in the cardboard container containing the microwave popper. The cardboard container was in most cases expanded to an expanded size by the user prior to popping the popcorn kernels in the microwave oven, but in some cases was expanded by popping the popcorn kernels, with the popped popcorn kernels being served in the expanded cardboard containers. Previous packaging has had several disadvantages, including the large volume of the expandable cardboard containers, which increased the total amount of material required for the container and thus its cost, increased the size of the packaging and thus the storage requirements, and increased the amount of material that had to be discarded after the popcorn had been consumed, which raised environmental concerns. Furthermore, the expansion dynamics of the cardboard containers and/or the plastic bag were limited by the pressure generated during the popping of the kernels. Forces were typically insufficient to maximize the volume of the package, which in turn prevented the popcorn from popping to a larger volume. Furthermore, plastic bags can melt and are often difficult to handle with a hot food product, at least due to the poor insulating qualities of plastic. To avoid these and other problems, and with the development of microwave absorbers applied in the form of a thin coating, such as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,267,420 to William A. Brastad, the microwave popcorn industry has turned to popcorn packages formed from flexible paper bags.

However, the paper microwave popcorn popping bags containing microwave absorbers have resulted in various kinds of problems. For example, the load of a microwave popcorn popping package contains unpopped popcorn kernels, a cooking oil or fat, salt and other ingredients such as coloring, flavoring or the like. It can be assumed that during storage or transportation of the filled microwave popcorn package by the manufacturer, the commercial companies or the consumer, the oil and/or fat has a tendency to leak out of the flexible paper packages, especially at high temperatures, resulting in aesthetically unattractive appearances. Furthermore, during microwave popping, the oil and/or fat has a tendency to wick out of the flexible paper packages. Currently used flexible paper popcorn bags, such as those disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,044,777, typically use a triple laminate of greaseproof paper adhered to an outer fluorocarbon treated grease resistant paper with a microwave absorber sandwiched between them. For example, the inner layer could be formed of 11.5 kg (25 lb.)/ream basis weight bleached greaseproof kraft paper and the outer layer could be formed of plain bleached tem kraft paper of 13.5 kg (30 lb.)/ream basis weight. The two paper layers and the adhesive between them together provide the necessary grease barrier during storage and/or transportation at high temperatures and during microwave cooking. However, the laminated paper popcorn bags have several disadvantages. First, the paper bag has a fairly high rigidity resulting from the multiple layers themselves as well as the adhesive between them. The rigidity reduces the ability of the bag to inflate or expand during microwave popping of the popcorn kernels, which in turn can have an adverse effect on the volume of the popped popcorn kernels. Furthermore, laminating the material requires additional assembly costs and the amount of material used for each bag adds further economic and environmental costs.

There is thus a need to reduce the amount of material and/or layers used in forming flexible paper popcorn packages comprising a microwave receiver. Current efforts at single-ply paper bags which have not been successful prior to the present invention include conventional greaseproof paper in combination with surface coatings of fluorocarbons such as FC-807 manufactured by 3M, Inc., St. Paul, Minnesota, or the like. However, such efforts have not resulted in commercially successful packages because they do not provide adequate greaseproof properties during storage, transportation or cooking through the paper. Furthermore, when this paper is folded, for example at the corners, in the folds and between the folds and the top and bottom walls, fibers in the paper and the coatings applied to it break and separate, leaving uncoated fiber ends which absorb the grease. Furthermore, breaks or fractures may occur and the oil and/or grease may leak out of the packaging.

There is therefore a continuing need for a flexible paper popcorn packaging with reduced layers, in particular formed from a single layer of flexible paper.

The present invention provides an expandable paper popcorn package for containing popcorn kernels and fat or oil for popping in a microwave oven, comprising in combination: a bag having an internal volume and a closed end which can be opened by the consumer after microwave cooking, and containment means for converting microwave energy into heat extending over a portion of the bag, the popcorn kernels and fat or oil generally overlying the containment means during microwave cooking, characterized in that the bag is formed from a single layer of greaseproof paper having a thickness which allows the single layer to be flexed by popping the popcorn kernels and further prevents wicking and leakage of fat or oil through the single layer.

Furthermore, as previously stated, the problem of grease wicking and actual leakage is present particularly at the folds or creases where the fibers of the paper and the coatings applied thereto for grease-barrier characteristics are broken and/or separated. This problem has been one of the major factors in limiting the amount of material and/or number of layers in flexible paper popcorn bags since one relies on the mass and number of layers of the material to provide the required grease barrier. Thus, there is a need to optionally provide an added grease barrier only at those locations, particularly at folds or creases, where grease wicking and leakage are a problem, with the added grease barrier minimizing the amount of material and/or number of layers in the remaining locations where grease wicking and leakage are not such a problem.

In preferred embodiments, a package in the form of a bag is provided comprising grease protectors for sealing the surfaces of the walls of the bag adjacent their connecting folded edges to prevent grease or oil from leaking or wicking out of the interior volume of the bag.

In a preferred embodiment, the package comprises folded, expandable side walls, wherein the fat protectors are disposed within the bag where the inner surfaces of the folds overlie other inner surfaces of the bag, and further disposed outside the bag where the outer surfaces of the folds overlie other outer surfaces of the bag.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a package made in accordance with the teachings of the present invention in a generally collapsed storage condition, but shown slightly expanded to show construction details;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the package of Figure 1, with parts broken away to show construction details;

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the package of Fig. 1 in its expanded state;

Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the packaging of Fig. 1 in a condition shortly before the expanded condition of Fig. 3 thereof.

All figures are drawn only to facilitate explaining the basic teachings of the present invention. The meanings of the figures as to the number, position, relationship and dimensions of the parts which make up the preferred embodiment are explained or will be within the knowledge of those skilled in the art after the following teachings of the present invention have been read and understood. Furthermore, the exact dimensions, dimensional proportions for adapting to specific force, weight, strength and other requirements will also be within the knowledge of those skilled in the art after the following teachings of the present invention have been read and understood.

In the several figures of the drawings, the same reference numerals designate the same or similar parts. Furthermore, it is to be understood that when the terms "top," "bottom," "first," "second," "side," "end," and like terms are used herein, these terms refer only to the structure shown in the drawings as it would appear to a person viewing the drawings and are used merely to facilitate describing the invention.

A package for use in microwave ovens in accordance with the preferred teachings of the present invention is shown as an expandable, flexible bag in the drawings and is generally designated 18. It facilitates the following description to view the bag 18 in the horizontal position when placed in the microwave oven, as opposed to a vertical or upright position when the contents of the container 18 are consumed by the consumer. Thus, the bag 18 includes a bottom wall 20, a top wall 22, an end wall 24, side walls 26 and a closed end 28. In the preferred form, the width of the bottom wall 20 is less than the width of the top wall 22, although the widths of the walls 20 and 22 could be equal.

The end wall 24 provides a non-opening permanent seal for the first end of the bag 18. In particular, the cross-sectional configuration of the end wall 24 includes a number of folds which are not important to an understanding of the present invention so they will not be specifically described here, although the end wall 24 should be constructed to adequately seal against the vapor generated in the bag 18 during heating thereof in a microwave oven. In the preferred form of the present invention, the end wall 24 is illustrated as being of the type shown in U.S. Patent No. 4,973,810 and is formed by folding the first ends of the bottom, top and side walls 20, 22 and 26 over the top wall 22. Alternatively, the end wall 24 may have a flat, rectangular or square configuration, such bags generally being referred to in the trade as square bottom bags. Further, the bag 18 may optionally include the unheated flap of the type shown and described in U.S. Patent No. 4,864,090. It should be understood, however, that the end wall 24 may take on various types and configurations, such as, but not limited to, the types shown in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,973,045; 4,450,180; 4,691,374 and 5,044,777.

In the most preferred form, the side walls 26 include gussets or folds 26a, 26b, 26c and 26d which allow the side walls 26 to expand during a cooking cycle. More particularly, in the preferred form, the folds 26a and 26b are joined together at first edges and have second and third opposite edges which are joined to the bottom wall 20 and the top wall 22, respectively. Similarly, the folds 26c and 26d are joined together at fourth edges and have fifth and sixth opposite edges which are joined to the bottom wall 20 and the top wall 22, respectively. In the preferred form, in their folded state, the folds 26a and 26c have the same width and lie over the bottom wall 20, and the folds 26b and 26d have the same width which is greater than the width of the folds 26a and 26c and overlie the folds 26a and 26c, with the top wall 22 overlie the folds 26b and 26d. In the preferred form, the top and bottom walls 20 and 22 have a width which extends beyond the junctions of the folds 26a and 26b and the folds 26c and 26d when the bag 18 is in its collapsed condition. The second, free ends of the folds 26a, 26b, 26c and 26d which form the side walls 26, the bottom wall 20 and the top wall 22 are coplanar and have the same extension or length from the end wall 24.

The end 28 provides a peelable closure seal which is released during microwave cooking adjacent the second free ends of the bottom, top and side walls 20, 22 and 26, or in other words, adjacent the second end of the pouch 18. This release of the peelable seal allows trapped steam to escape from the package and allows the consumer to open the pouch 18 after microwave cooking and before eating. In the most preferred form, the end 28 is formed in a manner as shown and described in U.S. Patent No. 5,189,272, which is hereby incorporated by reference into the disclosure content, and includes first and second V-shaped adhesive strips 34 and 36. The strip 34 is disposed on the bottom wall 20 and has first and second straight legs 34a and 34b which are joined together at their ends at an angle in the range of 140° and whose second ends extend to the junction of the folds 26a and 26c, respectively, with the bottom wall. The strip 36 overlies the strip 34 and is disposed on the upper wall 22 and has first and second straight legs 36a and 36b which are joined together at their first ends at an angle in the range of 140º and whose second ends extend to the junction of the folds 26b and 26d with the upper wall 22. The distance or space of the second ends of the Legs 34a, 34b, 36a and 36b from the second free ends of walls 20, 22 and 26 is greater than the distance or space of the first ends and the intersections of legs 34a, 34b, 36a and 36b from the second free ends of walls 20, 22 and 26. It can be seen that leg 34a adheres to fold 26a and seals it against bottom wall 20, leg 34d adheres to fold 26c and seals it against bottom wall 20, leg 36a adheres to fold 26b and seals it against top wall 22 and leg 36b adheres to fold 26d and seals it against top wall 22. Furthermore, the strips 34 and 36 adhere to the lower wall 20 and seal it against the upper wall 22 at its central portions 37 between the junctions of the folds 26a and 26b and the folds 26c and 26d.

Regions 38a, 38b, 38c and 38d are formed and defined by the material between the free ends of the walls 20, 22 and 26 and the strips 34 and 36 and are located on opposite sides of the strips 34 and 36 forming the peelable seal with respect to the end 24, the regions 38a, 38b, 38c and 38d being free of adhesive and, in the preferred embodiment, unsealed. Due to the angular orientation of the legs 34a, 34b, 36a and 36b, the regions 38a, 38b, 38c and 38d are of triangular configuration. Furthermore, since the first ends of the legs 34a, 34b, 36a and 36b are located in the central portions 37 of the lower and upper walls 20 and 22 which have widths extending beyond the folds 26a, 26b, 26c and 26d, and since the legs 34a, 34b, 36a and 36b extend therefrom in a straight manner at an obtuse angle to the opposite edges of the folds 26a, 26b, 26c and 26d, the regions 38a, 38b, 38c and 38d are formed with a large size so that they can be grasped by the consumer and in particular are considerably larger than the flaps formed by the adhesive which extend at small angles with respect to each other and extend only through the folds, such as when the box-like shape is desired as disclosed in U.S. Patent 5,044,777.

It should be understood, however, that the end 28 may take a variety of types or configurations in accordance with the preferred aspects of the invention, such as, but not limited to, the types shown in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,973,045; 4,450,180; 4,691,374; 4,864,090; 4,973,810 and 5,044,777.

Attention is now drawn to a containment pad 30 extending over a portion of the bottom wall 20 spaced from the end wall 24 and end 28. The containment pad 30 may be formed in any suitable manner known in the art, such as a metallized plastic film adhered to the bottom wall 20, a paper-backed containment material or coating applied or printed onto the bottom wall 20. Furthermore, although the containment pad 30 is shown as lying above the bottom wall 20 and thus within the container 18, the containment pad 30 may be located outside the bag 18 with the bottom wall 20 lying above the containment pad 30. Furthermore, placement of the containment pad 30 may occur at the material processing equipment or on the manufacturing lines.

It will then be appreciated that the bag 18 may be made as bags are currently made, for example of the type shown and described in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,450,180; 4,735,513; 4,878,765; 4,691,374 or 5,044,777. In this regard, the bag 18 may be formed by cutting a sheet of material into a section, folding the section of material into the shape of a tubular bag blank comprising bottom, top and side walls 20, 22 and 26 and then forming the end wall 24 by folding and gluing the bottom, top and side walls 20, 22 and 26. It should be noted It should be noted that the overlapping edges of the web of material forming the tubular bag blank have been omitted from Figures 1 to 3 for ease of illustration. It should also be noted that the free second ends of the bottom, top and side walls 20, 22 and 26 are all the same length and in particular do not require any special cuts and/or additional components to form tabs or flaps.

It will be further appreciated that the bag 18 may be filled with the desired food product in the same manner as conventional bags, for example of the type described in U.S. Patent 4,450,180. After filling, the strips 34 and 36 may be adhered to the walls 20, 22 and 26 using standard equipment currently used to form the peel seal of known bags. It will be understood, of course, that the particular manner of making and filling the bag 18 may be accomplished in a variety of ways and is not limited to the example described above.

For the sake of completeness, the contents of the bag 18 are assumed to be popped kernels and the popped kernels are generally designated by the reference numeral 40 after they have been popped in the microwave oven. In particular, as with known bags, the bag 18 is placed in a collapsed condition in a microwave oven with the bottom wall 20 resting on the bottom surface of the oven cavity. When exposed to microwave energy, the receiver pad 30 converts the microwave energy into heat, the heat and residual microwave energy causing the kernels to pop and generate water vapor. The water vapor and heated air cause the side walls 26 to expand so that they extend at their joining edges in an angular relationship with respect to one another and the interior surfaces of the folds 26a, 26b, 26c and 26d are spaced from the interior surfaces of the bottom and top walls 20 and 22, thereby expanding the bag 18 and increasing the interior volume of the bag 18 for popped grains 40. It will then be appreciated that due to its flexible nature, the bag 18 will expand into a football-like shape comprising the separation of the folds 26a and 26b and the folds 26c and 26d adjacent the second ends of the bottom, top and side walls 20, 22 and 26.

In accordance with the most preferred teachings of the present invention, the bag 18 is formed from a single ply of greaseproof paper having a thickness which allows the single ply to be flexed by the popping of the popcorn kernels and which further provides suitable greaseproofing properties during storage, transportation or cooking by virtue of the thickness of the paper to prevent wicking and leakage of grease or oil through the single ply. It has been found that by selecting the raw fibers and by heavily reworking the raw fibers in the process of making the paper, the fibers themselves in the paper are resistant to grease absorption and give the paper greaseproofing properties even when folded. In particular, the heavily reworked fibers have less tendency to break, producing uncoated fiber ends which absorb grease; instead, the bonds between the fibers tend to stretch, bend or break, thereby not producing broken fiber ends. In particular, raw fibers selected from the group of 100% chemical softwood pulps, such as 100% bleached kraft softwoods, and which are highly post-processed to a degree of freedom in the range of 150 to 250 cubic centimeters, have been shown to have suitable greaseproofing properties when made into paper having a basis weight of 11.5 kg (25 lb.)/ream to 20.5 kg (45 lb.)/ream, which in the most preferred form is in the range of 16 kg (35 lb.)/ream. In the most preferred form, the bag 18 is made of a single ply of paper having the code number 220-3510, manufactured by Rhinelander Paper Company, 515 W. Davenport Street, Rhinelander, Wisconsin 54501.

With the foregoing description in mind, it should be apparent that the bag 18 according to the teachings of the present invention is much more flexible than known conventional popcorn bags due to the single layer thereof and the elimination of the laminating adhesive. Furthermore, the advantages of the single layer of paper which softens during microwave cooking due to the heat and steam gives the bag 18 greater flexibility and less rigidity. Due to this increased flexibility, the bag 18 according to the preferred teachings of the present invention inflates or expands from its collapsed storage state to an inflated or expanded state having a larger internal volume than the same size conventional popcorn bag, whereby the bag 18 of the present invention allows the popped popcorn kernels to pop with a larger volume.

It is further noted that the single layer forming the bag 18 according to the teachings of the present invention provides economic advantages over multi-layer popcorn bags by reducing the amount of paper material used for each bag 18 and also by eliminating the adhesive and laminating steps required in the multi-laminate popcorn bags. In addition to reducing the amount of paper material required for each bag 18 and eliminating the laminate adhesive, less packaging material must be disposed of as waste after the popcorn is consumed, resulting in environmental advantages over the multi-laminate popcorn bags.

If the amount of paper material used in the manufacture of the bags 18 is minimized, then regardless of whether a multiple laminate or particularly when a single layer construction is used, consistently preventing grease wicking and actual leakage in the folds or folded areas is a problem. The bag 18 according to the most preferred teachings of the present invention provides an added option of providing built-in grease leakage protection in the folds. In particular, in the most preferred form, grease protectors 42a, 42b, 42c and 42d are provided disposed within the bag 18 to seal the bottom wall 20 to the fold 26a, the top wall 22 to the fold 26b, the bottom wall 20 to the fold 26c and the top wall 22 to the fold 26d adjacent their respective joining edges, the grease protectors 42a, 42b, 42c and 42d bonding or bonding the interior surfaces of the bottom wall 20 to the fold 26a, the top wall 22 to the fold 26b, the bottom wall 20 to the fold 26c and the top wall 22 to the fold 26d adjacent their respective joining edges. Further, in the most preferred form, grease protectors 44a, 44b are provided externally of the bag 18 for sealing the fold 26a to fold 26b and the fold 26c to fold 26d adjacent their respective joining edges, the grease protectors 44a and 44b bonding or bonding the outer surfaces of the fold 26a and fold 26b and the fold 26c and fold 26d adjacent their respective joining edges, respectively. In the most preferred form, the grease protectors 42a, 42b, 42c, 42d, 44a and 44b are applied during the printing process in the form of strips of pre-applied heat seal adhesive to one or both sides of the joining edges, or applied in the form of strips of pre-applied cohesive to both sides of the joining edges, such as B. Duraset 12, or equivalent.

The grease protectors 42a, 42b, 42c, 42d, 44a and 44b are selected to seal the paper forming the bag 18 directly above and adjacent the joining edges. The grease protectors 42a, 42b, 42c and 42d effectively block the flow of grease to the folded or over-folded areas of the joining edges, and the grease protectors 44a and 44b block the flow of grease away from the folded or folded-over areas of the joint edges, thereby preventing grease wicking or leakage. Furthermore, in the preferred form, the adhesive or cohesive agent forming the grease protectors 42a, 42b, 42c, 42d, 44a and 44b is selected to peel or detach during expansion or inflation of the bag 18 during microwave cooking, such that the expanded or inflated volume of the bag 18 is not reduced by the use of the grease protectors 42a, 42b, 42c, 42d, 44a and 44b as compared to the expanded or inflated volume of the bag 18 where no grease protectors 42a, 42b, 42c, 42d, 44a and 44b are used.

It may then be noted that the grease protectors 42a, 42b, 42c, 42d, 44a and 44b according to the teachings of the present invention provide an added grease barrier at the folded or folded-over areas where grease wicking and leakage is a particular problem, while the grease protectors 42a, 42b, 42c, 42d, 44a and 44b enable minimizing the material and/or number of layers forming the bag 18 where grease wicking and leakage are not such a problem.

Thus, while the invention disclosed herein may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or general characteristics thereof, some of which forms have been shown, the embodiments described herein are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the spirit of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.

Claims (16)

1. An expandable paper popcorn package for containing popcorn kernels and fat or oil for popping in a microwave oven, comprising in combination: a bag (18) having an internal volume and a closed end (28) which can be opened by the consumer after microwave cooking, and containment means (30) for converting microwave energy into heat extending over a portion of the bag (18), the popcorn kernels and fat or oil generally overlying the containment means (30) during microwave cooking, characterized in that the bag (18) is made of a single layer of greaseproof paper having a thickness which allows the single layer to be flexed by popping the popcorn kernels and further prevents wicking and leakage of fat or oil through the single layer. 2. Popcorn packaging according to claim 1, wherein the greaseproof paper is formed from raw fibers that are highly processed. 3. Popcorn packaging according to claim 2, wherein the raw fibers are selected from the group of 100% chemical softwood pulps. 4. Popcorn packaging according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the greaseproof paper has a basis weight in the range of approximately 11.5 kg (25 lb)/ream to 20.5 kg (45 lb)/ream. 5. A popcorn package according to any preceding claim, wherein the greaseproof paper has a basis weight in the range of 16 kg (35 lb)/ream. 6. Popcorn packaging according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the bag (18) is expandable, the interior volume being defined by at least first and second walls (20, 22, 26) which are connected together at first edges, each of the first and second walls (20, 22, 26) having first and second surfaces, the bag (18) having a collapsed state and an expanded state, the interior volume of the bag (18) increasing as the bag (18) expands from the collapsed state to the expanded state, the first and second walls (20, 22, 26) being folded around the first edges with superimposed first surfaces in the collapsed state, the first and second walls (20, 22, 26) being expanded away from the first edges with spaced-apart first surfaces in the expanded state and wherein the package further comprises means (42, 44) for sealing the first surfaces together adjacent the first edges to prevent grease or oil from leaking or wicking out of the interior volume of the bag (18). 7. A popcorn package according to claim 6, wherein the sealing means (42, 44) is peelable as the bag (18) expands from the collapsed state to the expanded state. 8. Popcorn packaging according to claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the sealing means (42, 44) is an adhesive or a cohesive agent applied to one or both of the first surfaces of the first and second walls (20, 22, 26) adjacent the first edges. 9. Popcorn packaging according to one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the first surfaces are within the bag (18). 10. Popcorn packaging according to one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the first surfaces are outside the bag (18). 11. A popcorn package according to any one of claims 6 to 10, wherein the bag (18) is sealed, wherein the bag (18) expands from the collapsed state to the expanded state during cooking of the food product containing the fat or oil. 12. Popcorn packaging according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the bag (18) is expandable, the interior volume being defined by at least one bottom wall (20), a top wall (22) and at least one first side wall (26) extending between the top and bottom walls (20, 22), the top, bottom and side walls (20, 22, 26) having first and second ends, the first side wall (26) comprising first and second folds (26a, 26b), the folds (26a, 26b) being connected to one another at first edges and the first fold (26a) having a second, opposite edge connected to the bottom wall (20) and the second fold (26b) having a third, opposite edge connected to the top wall (22), the bag (18) further comprising an end wall (24) at the first ends of the top, bottom and side walls (20, 22, 26), wherein the receiving means (30) extends over a portion of the bottom wall (20) at a distance from the first and second ends of the bottom wall (20), and means (34, 36) for closing the second ends of the top, bottom and side walls (20, 22, 26) and enabling the consumer to open the package (18) after microwave cooking, the package comprising means (42a) within the bag (18) for sealing the first fold (26a) to the bottom wall (20) adjacent the second edge, means (42b) within the bag (18) for sealing the second fold (26b) to the top wall (22) adjacent the third edge, the sealing means (42a, 42b) preventing fat or oil from the interior of the bag (18) from leaking or wicking out through the edges. 13. A popcorn package according to claim 12, wherein the sealing means (42a, 42b) are peelable during microwave cooking. 14. Popcorn package according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the sealing means (42a, 42b) comprise an adhesive or a cohesive agent applied to the edges. 15. A popcorn package according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the bag (18) comprises a second side wall (26) extending between the top and bottom walls (20, 22) opposite the first side wall (26), the second side wall (26) comprising at least third and fourth folds (26c, 26d), the third and fourth folds (26c, 26d) being joined together at fourth edges, the third fold (26c) having a fifth, opposite edge joined to the bottom wall (20) and the fourth fold (26d) having a sixth, opposite edge joined to the top wall (22), means (42c) within the bag (18) for sealing the third fold (26c) to the bottom wall (22) adjacent the fifth edge, means (42d) within the bag (18) for Sealing the fourth fold (26d) to the bottom wall (22) adjacent the sixth edge, and means (44b) external to the bag (18) for sealing the third fold (26c) to the fourth fold (26d) adjacent the fourth edges. 16. A popcorn package according to any one of claims 12 to 15, further comprising in combination: means (44a) external to the bag (18) for sealing the first fold (26a) to the second fold (26b) adjacent the first edges.