During storage, some volatile constituents of packaging materials may migrate, through the air; into foodstuff. To predict migrants concentration in a cylindrical food at a given storage time, two-dimensional transient diffusion in a cylinder was solved by finite the difference method. A computer program was developed to model migrant concentration in cylindrical packaged food. The mathematical model was then validated by experimental tests applied to a high humidity food analog stored in wooden packaging. The food analog was made of 2% of agar and 98% of distilled water (w/w). Volatile compounds extracted from poplar trees were used as diffusing gas. The poplar tree is a major source of wood in food packaging in France. The gas concentrations in volatile compounds were detected by chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. From these components, benzaldehyde was selected as the volatile component for experimental model validation. The benzaldehyde diffusion coefficient in simulated food was equal to 1.1 +/-0.1 x 10(-6) cm(2) s(-1). Partition coefficients of benzaldehyde between packaging material and free space air of packaging and also between air and food analogs were determined