Food storage

Short description: Type of storage that allows food to be eaten after time

Yup'ik elevated food cache (qulvarvik), Hooper Bay, Alaska, 1929. Photograph by Edward S. Curtis U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) food storage containers stacked on shipping pallets in Texas, 2008. A new braided granary is inaugurated. Kapsiki, North Cameroon.

Food storage is a way of decreasing the variability of the food supply in the face of natural, inevitable variability.[1] It allows food to be eaten for some time (typically weeks to months) after harvest rather than solely immediately. It is both a traditional domestic skill (mainly as root cellaring) and, in the form of food logistics, an important industrial and commercial activity. Food preservation, storage, and transport, including timely delivery to consumers, are important to food security, especially for the majority of people throughout the world who rely on others to produce their food.

Significant losses of food are caused by inadequate storage conditions as well as decisions made at earlier stages of the supply chain, which predispose products to a shorter shelf life.[2] Adequate cold storage, in particular, can be crucial to prevent quantitative and qualitative food losses.[3]

Food is stored by almost every human society and by many animals. Storing of food has several main purposes:[4]

* Preventing foodborne illness from consuming decomposing food
* Reducing food waste by preserving unused or uneaten food for later use
* Storage of harvested and processed plant and animal food products for distribution to consumers
* Enabling a better balanced diet throughout the year
* Preserving pantry food, such as spices or dry ingredients like rice and flour, for eventual use in cooking
* Preparedness for catastrophes, emergencies and periods of food scarcity or famine, whether as basic emergency preparedness (for most people) or in its more extreme form of survivalism (prepping)
* Religious reasons: for example, leaders in the LDS Church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) instruct church members to store food.[5]
* Protection from animals or theft

## Contents

* 1 Domestic food storage
* 1.1 Food storage safety
* 1.1.1 Freezing food
* 1.1.2 Refrigeration
* 1.2 Storing oils and fats
* 1.3 Dry storage of foods
* 1.3.1 Vegetables
* 1.3.2 Grain
* 1.3.3 Spices and herbs
* 1.3.4 Meat
* 1.4 Food rotation
* 1.5 For emergency preparation
* 2 Commercial food logistics
* 3 Food storage facilities
* 4 See also
* 5 Sources
* 6 References
* 7 External links

## Domestic food storage

Tupperware kitchen storage containers designed for a variety of uses. Plastic storage containers can be used to store food.

The safe storage of food for home use should strictly adhere to guidelines set out by reliable sources, such as the United States Department of Agriculture or the European Food Safety Authority. These guidelines have been thoroughly researched by scientists to determine the best methods for reducing the real threat of food poisoning from unsafe food storage. It is also important to maintain proper kitchen hygiene, to reduce risks of bacteria or virus growth and food poisoning. The common food poisoning illnesses include Listeriosis, Mycotoxicosis, Salmonellosis, E. coli, Staphylococcal food poisoning and Botulism. There are many other organisms that can also cause food poisoning.[6]

There are also safety guidelines available for the correct methods of home canning of food. For example, there are specific boiling times that apply depending upon whether pressure canning or waterbath canning is being used in the process. These safety guidelines are intended to reduce the growth of mold and bacteria and the threat of potentially-fatal food poisoning.[7]

### Food storage safety

#### Freezing food

To preserve food over long periods the temperature should be maintained below 0 °F (−18 °C). Careful thawing and cooking immediately after thawing are necessary to maintain the safety of food.[8][9]

Food frozen at −18 °C (0 °F) and below may be preserved almost indefinitely although the quality of the food is likely to deteriorate over time. The United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service publishes a chart showing the suggested freezer storage time for common foods.[9]

#### Refrigeration

Food storage in refrigerators may not be safe unless there is close adherence to temperature guidelines. In general the temperature should be maintained at 4 °C (39 °F) or below but never below 1 °C (34 °F).[10]

Safe storage times vary from food to food and may depend on how the food has been treated prior to being placed in the refrigerator.[10]

### Storing oils and fats

Oils and fats can begin to go rancid quickly when not stored safely. Rancid cooking oils and fats do not often smell rancid until well after they have spoiled. Oxygen, light and heat all contribute to cooking oils becoming rancid. The higher the level of polyunsaturated fat that an oil contains, the faster it spoils. The percentage of polyunsaturated fat in some common cooking oils is safflower (74%), sunflower (66%), corn (60%), soybean (37%), peanut (32%), canola (29%), olive (8%), and coconut (5%).[11]

To help preserve oils from rancidification, they should be stored in a dark place, stored in oxygen-safe, light-reducing containers (e.g. dark glass or metal). Once opened, oils should be refrigerated and used within a few weeks, when some types begin to go rancid. Unopened oils can have a storage life of up to one year, but some types have a shorter shelf-life even when unopened (such as sesame and flaxseed).[11]

### Dry storage of foods

#### Vegetables

The guidelines vary for safe storage of vegetables under dry conditions. This is because different vegetables have different characteristics; for example, tomatoes contain a lot of water, while root vegetables such as carrots and potatoes contain less. These factors, and many others, affect the amount of time that a vegetable can be kept in dry storage, as well as the temperature needed to preserve its usefulness. The following guideline shows the required dry storage conditions:[12]

* Cool and dry: onion
* Cool and moist: root vegetable, potato, cabbage
* Warm and dry: winter squash, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, dried hot peppers

#### Grain

Grain, which includes dry kitchen ingredients such as flour, rice, millet, couscous, cornmeal, and so on, can be stored in rigid sealed containers to prevent moisture contamination or insect or rodent infestation. For kitchen use, glass containers are the most traditional method. During the 20th century plastic containers were introduced for kitchen use. They are now sold in a vast variety of sizes and designs.

Metal cans are used (in the United States the smallest practical grain storage uses closed-top #10 metal cans measuring about 3 to 3.5 liters). Storage in grain sacks is ineffective; mold and pests destroy a 25 kg cloth sack of grain in a year, even if stored off the ground in a dry area. On the ground or damp concrete, grain can spoil in as little as three days, and the grain might have to be dried before it can be milled. Food stored under unsuitable conditions should not be purchased or used because of risk of spoilage. To test whether grain is still good, it can be sprouted. If it sprouts, it is still good, but if not, it should not be eaten.[13] It may take up to a week for grains to sprout. When in doubt about the safety of the food, throw it out as quickly as possible.

#### Spices and herbs

Spices and herbs are today often sold prepackaged in a way that is convenient for pantry storage. The packaging has dual purposes of both storing and dispensing the spices or herbs. They are sold in small glass or plastic containers or resealable plastic packaging. When spices or herbs are homegrown or bought in bulk, they can be stored at home in glass or plastic containers. They can be stored for extended periods, in some cases for years. However, after 6 months to a year, spices and herbs will gradually lose their flavour as oils they contain will slowly evaporate during storage.[14]

Spices and herbs can be preserved in vinegar for short periods of up to a month without losing flavor, creating a flavoured vinegar.

#### Meat

Unpreserved meat has only a relatively short life in storage. Perishable meats should be refrigerated, frozen, dried promptly or cured. Storage of fresh meats is a complex discipline that affects the costs, storage life and eating quality of the meat, and the appropriate techniques vary with the kind of meat and the particular requirements.[15] For example, dry ageing techniques are sometimes used to tenderize gourmet meats by hanging them in carefully controlled environments for up to 21 days, while game animals of various kinds may be hung after shooting. Details depend on personal tastes and local traditions.[16] Modern techniques of preparing meat for storage vary with the type of meat and special requirements of tenderness, flavour, hygiene, and economy.[17]

### Food rotation

Food rotation is important to preserve freshness. When food is rotated, the food that has been in storage the longest is used first. As food is used, new food is added to the pantry to replace it; the essential rationale is to use the oldest food as soon as possible so that nothing is in storage too long and becomes unsafe to eat. Labelling food with paper labels on the storage container, marking the date that the container is placed in storage, can make this practice simpler.[18]

### For emergency preparation

## Commercial food logistics

Silos connected to a grain elevator on a farm in Israel.

## Food storage facilities

Food storage facilities may include those used for dry goods, or in canning, Food dehydration, pickling, curing and more. They include:

* Pantry
* Larder
* Root cellar

Fully dedicated food storage facilities include:

* Cool store — a large refrigerated room or building
* Cool warehouse — a very large refrigerated building
* Silo — used to store grains, like wheat and maize
* 2800 Polar Way — world's largest food freezer
* Controlled atmosphere storage — commercial facilities that regulate oxygen, carbon dioxide, and humidity to slow ripening and spoilage of fruits, extending storage life.

## See also

* Canning
* Home canning
* Candying
* Food science
* Food and Bioprocess Technology
* Food chemistry
* Food engineering
* Food safety
* Food microbiology
* Food technology
* Dietary supplement
* Food dehydration
* Food fortification
* Food preservation
* Food rheology
* Food storage container
* Food packaging
* Food supplement
* Hoarding (animal behavior)
* Nutraceutical
* Pickling
* Preserves
* Root cellar
* Shaker-style pantry box
* Storage clamp

## Sources

This article incorporates text from a free content work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 License statement: The State of Food and Agriculture 2019. Moving forward on food loss and waste reduction, In brief, 24, FAO, FAO. To learn how to add open license text to HandWiki articles, please see this how-to page. For information on reusing text from HandWiki, please see the terms of use.

## References

1. ↑ Lawrence, R.J. (2014). Freedman, Bill. ed (in en). Global environmental change. Dordrecht: Springer. pp. XXVII+973. ISBN 978-94-007-5783-7. OCLC 888154438. ISBN 978-94-007-5784-4 ISBN 978-94-007-5785-1 p. 507
2. ↑ Butler, C.D. (2014). Freedman, Bill. ed (in en). Global environmental change. Dordrecht: Springer. pp. XXVII+973. ISBN 978-94-007-5783-7. OCLC 888154438. ISBN 978-94-007-5784-4 ISBN 978-94-007-5785-1 p. 645
3. ↑ The State of Food and Agriculture 2019. Moving forward on food loss and waste reduction, In brief. Rome: FAO. 2019. pp. 12. http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca6122en.
4. ↑ "Agriculture food and nutrition for Africa - A resource book for teachers of agriculture". https://www.fao.org/4/w0078e/w0078e07.htm.
5. ↑ "Provident Living." , Latter Day Saints Family Home Storage.
6. ↑ Marotz, Lynn R. (2008). Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child. Wadsworth Publishing. pp. 491–2. ISBN 978-1-4283-2070-3. https://archive.org/details/healthsafetynutr00maro_3/page/491.
7. ↑ "National Center for Home Food Preservation - National Center for Home Food Preservation" (in en). https://nchfp.uga.edu/.
8. ↑ Marotz, Lynn R. (2008). Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child. Wadsworth Publishing. pp. 482. ISBN 978-1-4283-2070-3. https://archive.org/details/healthsafetynutr00maro_3/page/482.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Fact Sheet: Freezing and Food Safety". United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service. June 3, 2010. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/focus_on_freezing/index.asp.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Refrigeration and Food Safety". United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service. May 2010. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/pdf/refrigeration_and_food_safety.pdf.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Mitchell, Deborah (2004). Safe foods: the A-to-Z guide to the most wholesome foods for you and your family. Penguin. pp. Ch. 15. ISBN 978-1-101-21015-4.
12. ↑ Program, Human Foods (2025-02-27). "Selecting and Serving Produce Safely" (in en). FDA. https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/selecting-and-serving-produce-safely.
13. ↑ "The Big Thaw" (in en). https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/safe-food-handling/the-big-thaw-safe-defrosting-methods-for-consumers.
14. ↑ "Quality assurance for small-scale rural food industries - 2.4 Herb and spice products". https://www.fao.org/4/v5380e/v5380e09.htm.
15. ↑ Michael Richardson, Kim Matthews, Chris Lloyd, Katie Brian. Meat quality and shelf life. Better Returns Programme EBLEX Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board. brp_b_betterreturnsfrommeatmanual-meatqualityandshelflife.pdf [1]
16. ↑ Editors of Creative Publishing. Dressing & Cooking Wild Game. Publisher: Creative Publishing international 1999 ISBN 978-0865731080
17. ↑ Matthews, K. R. Review of published literature and unpublished research on factors influencing beef quality. EBLEX R&D UK Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board 2011 rd_qs_b_-_meatqualityreview2010-beef.pdf from [2]
18. ↑ "The Importance of Proper Stock Rotation in Healthcare Facilities: Ensuring Quality Care and Efficiency Through Audits" (in en-US). https://www.needle.tube/resources-18/The-Importance-of-Proper-Stock-Rotation-in-Healthcare-Facilities:-Ensuring-Quality-Care-and-Efficiency-Through-Audits.

## External links

* US Government Food Safety Guidelines
* USDA Resources for Food Safety and Storage
* Food Storage: Refrigerator and Freezer
* Food Storage Guidelines For Consumers

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Food science

General|

* Allergy
* Engineering
* Microbiology
* Nutrition
* Diet
* clinical
* Processing
* Processing aids
* Quality
* Sensory analysis
* Discrimination testing
* Rheology
* Storage
* Technology

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Food chemistry

* Additives
* Carbohydrates
* Coloring
* Enzymes
* Essential fatty acids
* Flavors
* Fortification
* Lipids
* "Minerals" (Chemical elements)
* Proteins
* Vitamins
* Water

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Food preservation

* Biopreservation
* Canning
* Cold chain
* Curing
* Drying
* Fermentation
* Freeze-drying
* Freezing
* Hurdle technology
* Irradiation
* Jamming
* Jellying
* Jugging
* Modified atmosphere
* Pascalization
* Pickling
* Potting
* Confit
* Potjevleesch
* Salting
* Smoking
* Sugaring
* Tyndallization
* Vacuum packing

*   * Category: Food preservation

Food industry|

* Manufacturing
* Packaging
* Marketing
* Foodservice
* Fortification

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Food safety

Adulterants, food contaminants|

* 3-MCPD
* Aldicarb
* Cyanide
* Formaldehyde
* Lead poisoning
* Melamine
* Mercury in fish
* Sudan I

Flavorings|

* Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
* Salt
* Sugar
* High-fructose corn syrup

Microorganisms|

* Botulism
* Campylobacter jejuni
* Clostridium perfringens
* Escherichia coli O104:H4
* H7
* Hepatitis A
* Hepatitis E
* Listeria
* Norovirus
* Rotavirus
* Salmonella

Parasitic infections through food|

* Amoebiasis
* Anisakiasis
* Cryptosporidiosis
* Cyclosporiasis
* Diphyllobothriasis
* Enterobiasis
* Fasciolopsiasis
* Fasciolosis
* Giardiasis
* Gnathostomiasis
* Paragonimiasis
* Toxoplasmosis
* Trichinosis
* Trichuriasis

Pesticides|

* Chlorpyrifos
* DDT
* Lindane
* Malathion
* Methamidophos

Preservatives|

* Benzoic acid
* Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)
* Sodium benzoate

Sugar substitutes|

* Acesulfame potassium
* Aspartame
* Saccharin
* Sodium cyclamate
* Sorbitol
* Sucralose

Toxins, poisons, environment pollution|

* Aflatoxin
* Arsenic contamination of groundwater
* Benzene in soft drinks
* Bisphenol A
* Dieldrin
* Diethylstilbestrol
* Dioxin
* Mycotoxins
* Nonylphenol
* Shellfish poisoning

Food contamination incidents|

* Devon colic
* Swill milk scandal
* Esing Bakery incident
* 1858 Bradford sweets poisoning
* 1900 English beer poisoning
* Morinaga Milk arsenic poisoning incident
* Minamata disease
* 1971 Iraq poison grain disaster
* Toxic oil syndrome
* 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak
* 1996 Odwalla E. coli outbreak
* 2006 North American E. coli outbreaks
* ICA meat repackaging controversy
* 2008 Canada listeriosis outbreak
* 2008 Chinese milk scandal
* 2008 Irish pork crisis
* 2008 United States salmonellosis outbreak
* 2011 Germany E. coli outbreak
* 2011 United States listeriosis outbreak
* 2013 Bihar school meal poisoning
* 2013 horse meat scandal
* 2017 Brazil weak meat scandal
* 2017–18 South African listeriosis outbreak
* 2018 Australian rockmelon listeriosis outbreak
* 2018 Australian strawberry contamination
* Food safety incidents in China
* Food safety incidents in Taiwan
* Food safety in Australia
* Foodborne illness
* outbreaks
* death toll
* United States

Regulation, standards, watchdogs|

* Acceptable daily intake
* E number
* Food labeling regulations
* Food libel laws
* International Food Safety Network
* ISO 22000
* Quality Assurance International

Institutions|

* Centre for Food Safety
* European Food Safety Authority
* Institute for Food Safety and Health
* International Food Safety Network
* Ministry of Food and Drug Safety

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Artificial foods

Artificial fat substitutes|

* Olestra
* Trans fat

Artificial protein substitutes|

* Acid-hydrolyzed vegetable protein

Artificial sugar substitutes|

* Acesulfame potassium
* Alitame
* Aspartame
* Aspartame-acesulfame salt
* Dulcin
* Glucin
* Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates
* Neohesperidin dihydrochalcone
* Neotame
* NutraSweet
* Nutrinova
* Saccharin
* Sodium cyclamate
* Sucralose

Natural food substitutes|

* Cheese analogues
* Coffee substitutes
* Egg substitutes
* Meat analogues
* bacon
* list
* Milk substitutes
* Phyllodulcin
* Salt substitutes

Brands|

* Tang

Food politics|

* Food power
* Food security
* Famine
* Malnutrition
* Overnutrition

Institutions|

* International Association for Food Protection
* Food and Drug Administration
* Food and Agriculture Organization
* National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
* National Food and Drug Authority

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