Eli5 how do chips become stale when exposed to air for a period of time but are still “ok” to eat, however other foods will spoil and are not safe?

Question

Eli5 how do chips become stale when exposed to air for a period of time but are still “ok” to eat, however other foods will spoil and are not safe?

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Answer 1

“Stale” and “spoiled” are two different processes.

Things go stale when they’re exposed to air, and allowed to absorb/lose moisture or oxidize until they’re ruined. It’s not good eating anymore, but this process doesn’t produce anything dangerous either.

Things spoil when decomposing bacteria and fungi move in and start eating it – they produce poisonous waste products and the food quickly becomes dangerous to eat.