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Each food product has a limited shelf life. When it comes to long term food storage you need to understand the factors that determine the shelf life of your foods. If you are just about to start a home food storage program or you already have one, this information might be useful for you to extend the shelf life of your foods.
There are four main factors that affect the shelf life of your food products. Let us look at all of them.
Temperature is probably the most important factor that defines how long your foods will last. If you put your foods into a warm place, it will not last long. The ideal temperature for food storage area is no more than forty degrees F. It is clear that not all home owners are able to achieve such temperature and maintain it all the year round. Even if it is warmer than 40 degrees in your storage area, you need to do your best to avoid frequent temperature changes. Make sure the temperature remains constant.
Moisture is the second factor that may spoil your survival foods. When choosing food for long term storage try to pick the one that has less than 10 percent of moisture content. However, as most of us do not have corresponding equipment this could be very difficult to achieve. That is why freeze dried foods are getting so popular. Freeze dried foods usually contain only about 5 percent of moisture in them. And that is why their shelf life is very long.
The third factor is the type of atmosphere in the storage container. Oxygen is the main enemy of food products. That is why many commercially prepared emergency foods are packed with Nitrogen. This gas works much better than oxygen.
If you want to cope with oxygen in your food containers at home, you might want to get oxygen absorber packets. All you need to do is place such an absorber into your food container and seal it. Oxygen absorber packets absorb oxygen from the atmosphere inside the container and create a slight vacuum. This allows your foods to last much longer.
Another factor to keep in mind is the storage container itself. Make sure you use air tight containers to ensure your foods will last as long as possible. When using plastic containers make sure they are made of food grade plastic. Otherwise they must not be used for storing food. Most containers are usually marked to let you know what products they could be used with.
If you choose to buy commercially prepared survival food, then in most cases you will not have to worry about the last three factors. You will only need to store your foods in a cool and dry place.

This planet gets “hot” – it is high time to be prepared. Learn more about food storage – this knowledge can save your life and the lives of other people you care about. Visit this food storage web site for interesting updates in the food storage niche.

Bulk food storage is very popular these days among people who care about their families and want to save them from possible emergencies. Your food storage should be planned for at least 6 months. The concept of buying bulk is to start a food storage program at your home. This is an important part of emergency preparedness. It is highly important to have a 72 hour emergency food supply. This will help you to make it through a short term emergency. But if you care about storing dry foods for long term emergencies – then this article is for you. We are going to talk about useful tips on how to make your bulk foods last longer.
At the first place, you need to use proper food storage containers for your long term food storage. Make sure you choose hard containers that could not be chewed by rodents. Glass, metal, and hard plastic are good choices here. Remember that plastic bags are not appropriate for long term food storage.
Plastic containers do not provide a reliable barrier to oxygen. To extend the shelf life of your foods you will have to add oxygen absorbers as an additional oxygen barrier. For example, most dry foods will last for about 6 to 12 months when stored in plastic containers. But if you add oxygen barrier, your foods will last up to 20 years.
You could choose glass containers to store food products for emergency purposes. They could be found in several different sizes. Unlike plastic, glass is a true oxygen barrier. So if you seal your glass bottles air tight, no additional oxygen barriers will be required. The only disadvantage of glass containers is the fact that they are easy breakable. This means you might not be able to rely on them in the case of earthquake or hurricane, etc.
There are several types of dry foods that could be stored for emergency purposes. Various types of grains, beans, corn, flour, sugar, pastas, powdered eggs, nuts, dried meats are just some of the possible options. You could also store other products you like to eat in everyday life.
Air tight containers provide excellent protection to your foods for up to one year. Adding some kind of oxygen barrier is a great option to extend the shelf life of your dry foods to its maximum. Rice, wheat, beans, corn and some other dry foods will last for more than 20 years if stored this way.
Do not forget that your food storage could seem attractive to rodents and insects. However, if you follow the above recommendations you will not have to deal with them. Neither mice nor bugs are able to penetrate a glass, metal or hard plastic container.

Do you know that food storage can save you from lots of problems during different emergency cases. Learn more about food storage on this food storage web site.

Long term food storage is a very smart idea for those who want to be prepared to emergency situations. There are many situations when you are going to need additional food supplies. And that is why more and more Americans start home food storage programs. If you are just a beginner in the field of food storage, you might be confused with all those emergency kits and food storage options available today.
One of the most common mistakes is when people begin to store foods they do not normally eat. This food will eventually spoil and you will have to purchase the whole supply of food again. Plus if an emergency comes, you will have to eat unusual food you are not used to.
That is why it is much better to store food that you are used to eating and that you enjoy eating. You should just buy a few more items of the goods you normally buy when food shopping. Make sure these items could be stored long term. This strategy will allow you to build up your food storage. Whenever you buy a new item, you should put it to your storage area and take out the oldest one that is in there. This way you food will never get spoiled and no money will be wasted.
Many people who store food face the problem of rodents and insects getting into their food supply. You should choose containers that could be properly sealed. Even in this case you need to check your sealed containers regularly to make sure there are no pests. It might also be a good idea to keep your food containers in different parts of your house. If something happens to your storage place, you will lose all your foods. But if food products are kept in different places, you will safe at least part of your food storage.
It could be very useful to learn how to grow a small garden. Foods with long shelf life do not usually contain many vitamins and minerals that fresh fruit and vegetables do. A garden could supplement your emergency diet with vital nutrients. As you get familiar with gardening you could store seeds for growing them as a backup option.
You should also know that sprouts are an excellent addition to your survival food supply. Sprouts are rich in vitamins and other vital nutrients. They are often called to be the most nutritious type of food by weight. And they could be grown easily. All you need is a jar, some water and some daylight. Sprouts should become as essential part of your emergency menu as they will supplement you with important nutrients. That is why make sure you store seeds along with your regular foods.

This planet gets “hot” – time to be prepared. Read more about food storage – this info can save your life and the lives of other people you care about. Visit this food storage blog for useful updates in the food storage industry.

Many people think it is silly to think about storing food in a modern world. Most of us have a 24 hour access to any type of food they like. We could easily get strawberries in February as well as in any other month of the year. Just drive to your local grocery store or supermarket and you will have everything you want. It is also quite possible to order some food and it will be delivered directly to your home. We are used to having constant access to all foods and goods we need. And that is what our life is like. However, there are situations when our normal day to day life may be severely interrupted. And these are situations when having survival food storage at home could save your life.
In a wide range of situations you may lose or have limited access to buying foods and other items. That is why it is recommended to have at least a thirty or sixty day supply of food on hand. Let us look closer at situations when you might need to have emergency supply of food.
The first one is job loss. It is the reality that we could lose our jobs anytime. This is especially true today when the financial crisis is out there. Not many people think of losing their jobs as of survival situation. However, this situation should be viewed as an emergency. You will find it much easier to survive a period of job loss if you have food storage at home.
Natural disasters are another group of situations when emergency food supply could be very helpful. Some natural disasters might make you leave your house. Other emergencies might make you stay at home without being able to leave it. Having survival food will allow you to make it through such emergencies without serious problems. To get prepared to both types of natural disasters it is recommended to have food storage at your home. You should also have some lightweight foods packed to take with you if you have to leave your house very fast.
Pandemics could also interrupt our everyday life. Any time some virus could get out of control. In this case government will have to quarantine everyone. This means you will not be able to leave your house and there will be no food in your local grocery store. Therefore you will be able to survive only if you have food and water storage at your house.
If you decide to start a home food storage program, you should stockpile foods that you currently eat. It is recommended to store food products that you enjoy. This way you will be able to rotate them without any problems.

Are you aware that food storage can save you from lots of troubles during all sorts of emergency cases. Learn more about food storage on this food storage blog.