Abstract: A system and method for forming bags and reliably filling them with solids (such as snack food) prevent blockages of the solids during the filling process, and enable the bag forming and bag filling processes to occur continuously in an overlapping manner, thus improving production efficiency. Longitudinal openings are provided in the lower end of a hollow tubular vertical mandrel. Solids fall by gravity through the interior of the mandrel toward a bag that is formed at the bottom of the mandrel. The longitudinal openings allow solids to protrude radially outward from the mandrel if they form a blockage in the mandrel. The protruding solids that are part of the blockage are dislodged by frictional contact with a tubular film as it is forwarded snugly down the exterior of the mandrel. The film ultimately form the bag into which the solids fall.