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.
Simple bread clips
An assortment of 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 expiry date.
Mechanical bread clips
A mechanical bread clip
A more complex bread clip design involves two articulated plastic parts mounted on a pivot with a spring between them to provide tension.
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