Once you have begun your food storage you will want to protect it from pests and other risks that can spoil your food. You do not want to find that all the money and time you have spent collecting the food has gone to waste because the food was stored improperly. Here are three easy ways to protect your food.
The type of food you are storing determines the best way to store it. If you are storing grains, flour, sugar or dry goods you will want to store these foods in an airtight container, made specifically for storing food. You can store large amounts of flour and wheat in plastic buckets. You can buy these in the five-gallon size. You can also use a dry pack canner to store these foods. As you package these foods you will need to make sure that your foods are free from pests, then store the food in a cool dry place.
Another risk to food storage is allowing the food to spoil. This happens especially in foods that are frozen or refrigerated. You should try to use ground meat in three months, and all other meat in about six months. If there is a use by date on a package of frozen food (pizza or vegetables) follow the date. If your power is compromised and the food has begun to thaw then it is no longer safe to eat and you will need to dispose of it. When you store frozen food you should either purchase a back up generator for your refrigerator or freezer or be prepared to cut the food as a loss.
If you are storing canned foods you should do so in a cool dry place. Moisture can cause your cans to rust, which means the contents are considered unsafe to eat. If the cans become hot it can shorten the shelf life of the food. I recommend storing the cans on shelves, which will keep them up and off of the ground. Be sure that you rotate through the cans and use the food by the suggested date on the package. If the cans are not dated, date the cans yourself and use within a year