A Chick-Fil-A Insider Knows Exactly Why The Polynesian Sauce Explodes - Exclusive

You're not alone if you can't get enough of Chick-fil-A's signature sauces and hoard as many of them as possible for future snacking purposes. However, for the dedicated Polynesian sauce fans out there, a word of warning: In recent years, Chick-fil-A customers have taken to social media to report an issue with their leftover sauce packets. Specifically, people claim that their Polynesian sauce packets are exploding or disintegrating and leaking all over the place, resulting in a nasty, stick mess. Apparently, even employees have experienced the phenomenon when stocking boxes of the sauce, according to posts on Reddit.

So what's the deal? Up to this point, there's only been speculation, with no real explanation or official comment from Chick-fil-A about this saucy problem. Now, Mashed has gleaned some insight into the issue. We spoke with a Chick-fil-A insider with knowledge about the brand's sauces, how they are made and packaged, and exactly what might cause them to explode. However, we'll warn you up front: While fans may be excited to learn the truth about what's behind this issue, it won't change the fact that they probably need to get rid of that backlogged stash of Polynesian sauce packets.

According to a source with knowledge on the subject, the main reason that some sauce packets may be exploding or leaking is because they are expired. A Chick-fil-A insider confirmed to Mashed that this can happen to sauces that are well past their shelf life. While some may have thought that their Chick-fil-A sauces would last indefinitely, the condiments do, in fact, have an expiration date — which is why Chick-fil-A doesn't recommend storing them at home, in your office, or in your car (and certainly not your purse!) for that long.

So how long do you have to eat or toss those sauce packets? The company does not offer an official answer to this question on its website or on the individual packets themselves. However, a Virginia Chick-fil-A location responded to this question from a customer on Facebook, writing, "A typical dipping sauce packet will have a shelf-life of 2-3 months. Refrigeration of the sauce should extend the life but we're not sure how long." It's also worth noting that the Polynesian sauce specifically doesn't list any preservatives in the ingredients list (unlike many of the chain's other sauces), which would typically help extend the amount of time you can safely keep them on hand. So your best bet? Eat them while they're fresh and just head back to Chick-fil-A next time you need a sauce fix.