Ziplock bags were the successor of plain plastic baggies used for sandwiches and other food that were first introduced in 1957. Soon after, in 1959, the first zipper storage bag sold as a consumer product was produced by a company called Minigrip. Then in 1963, the Glad Corporation released a plastic food wrap and shortly after a similar zipper storage bag. It was not until 1968 that zipper storage bags were marketed as food storage bags, when the Dow Chemical Company launched its range of zipper storage bags called Ziploc.
Since the release of zipper storage bags they have gained in popularity with consumers and have been adapted for many different uses. Ziplock bags are available in different colors so that storage of different food items can be color coded. There are ziplock bags that are designed for storing food in the freezer, others for keeping sandwiches fresh and another that can be used to heat food in a microwave. Ziplock bags are also available in a large range of different sizes to suit a variety of different needs.
Ziplock bags are traditionally used for food storage, however they have been adapted by consumers and manufacturers for use in a multitude of ways. Other uses for zipper storage bags include storing toiletry items while traveling, packing them with medical items to create a first aid kit and using them as containers to hold or mix paint. The variety of different ways a zipper storage bag can be used is continually growing because users are always devising new ways the bags can assist them in everyday tasks.