Method of and apparatus for packaging snack food chips

A method of packaging snack food chips, the method comprising:

• (a) providing a plurality of snack food chips as a shingled assembly of the snack food chips supported on an elongate support which extends along and beneath the shingled assembly, the elongate support having a free end;
• (b) enclosing the shingled assembly supported on the elongate support within an elongate packaging container having a closed end by pushing the elongate packaging container over the shingled assembly supported on the elongate support, the free end of the elongate support being located towards the closed end of the elongate packaging container, wherein the elongate packaging container and the shingled assembly supported on the elongate support are substantially horizontal during the enclosing;
• (c) vibrating the shingled assembly supported on the elongate support to cause the snack food chips to sequentially fall from the free end of the elongate support into the elongate packaging container while progressively translationally separating the closed end and the free end to progressively form a shingled stack in the elongate packaging container extending away from the closed end, wherein when vibrating commences, the elongate packaging container and the shingled assembly supported on the elongate support are substantially horizontal and wherein vibration is along an axis that is parallel or aligned with the elongate support;
• and
• (d) during the vibrating and while progressively translationally separating the closed end and the free end, rotating simultaneously the elongate support and the elongate packaging container so that the closed end is lowered and an angle of inclination of the shingled stack to the substantially horizontal position increases while at least a part of the shingled stack is being progressively formed.