Food Storage 102 – 2 Weeks Is Not Enough
Sharon July 8th, 2008
Last time I ran the food storage class, I started off with a Food Storage 101 post that discussed the bare minimum for food storage – the 2 weeks recommended by both the US Department of Homeland Security and the American Red Cross. I reviewed the fact that 2 week extended periods in which we are unable to shop or get supplies are actually not at all uncommon – that they have occurred many times in rich world nations including the US, and that all of us should, as simply commonsense preparedness, have a 2 week supply of food. I then went along trying to get you all to store much more food than that, but I didn’t want to push too hard on that, because I know that for some people, the idea that you might not be able to get food at the store for more than a couple of weeks due to a short-term disaster is just plain crazy talk.
But this time around, I’m going to push the issue, even if it makes you think I’m nuts (if you are just figuring this out, you may be new to the blog
). Because the truth is that 2 weeks is nowhere near enough – 3 months really should be the minimum.
Four Factors that affect food storage:
Factor #1: The Temperature:
Temperature has more to do with how long well dried foods store than anything else. The USDA states, “Each 5.6 C. (10.08F) drop in temperature doubles the storage life of the seeds.”“Each 5.6C. (10.08F) rise in temperature halves the storage life of seeds.” This theory holds true for non-garden seeds as well. Obviously, there is a limit as to how far this statement can be taken. However I expect it basically holds true from room temperature down to freezing. No doubt, the inverse could also be considered true.
Storage Life Differences
Depending on TemperatureConstant Storage Storage life Temp in degrees F In Years —————- ———— 39.76 – – – 40 49.84 – – – 30 59.92 – – – 20 70.00 – – – 10 80.08 – – – 5 90.16 – – – 2.5 100.24 – – 1.25
Note: the above chart is not for a specific food but shows the relationship between temperature and storage life.
Let’s look at a couple of real life examples of good and poor food storage practices:
About a year ago we got an unopened paper bag of white flour which had been stored at 70 degrees F, in a dry climate. It had been sitting for 3 years in a closet. It made fine looking bread but had such an ‘old’ and bad flavor that it was difficult to eat. For another example, a couple of years ago in the Puget Sound area we were given a 4 gallon can of wheat that had been stored up high in a garage for about 30 years. This part of the country is not as hot as some places, yet in the summers the average garage still gets up into the 90’s. Even though wheat will store for 30+ years under good conditions, the bread from this particular wheat was very bad tasting and after a few batches we ended up throwing the wheat away (something I always dislike doing).
