We always try to take out the food, because of the formula: Ants + Collectibles = EWWW! We've also heard very entertaining stories of collectors who discover what happens when you combine snack food products + time (usually, also = EWWW!), for example, the guy who opened the Star Wars Frankenberry box from the 70s. According to him, there was nothing left of said cereal inside the wrapper but a sticky red goo in the bottom of the bag.