Food Preservation - Long Term Food Storage For Your Pets

Food Preservation - Long Term Food Storage For Your Pets

Posted by PackFreshUSA on Apr 27th 2018


Please do not forget about your 4-legged, 2-legged, fur, scaly, or feathered friends.

We believe everyone will agree when we say our pets are part of our family and just like our children, pets rely on us to take care of them in an emergency. Therefore, it is important to also think of them when you are building your food storage.

There are a handful of options for building a food storage for your beloved pets.

Most dry pet foods contain fats and oils which can go rancid over time. It is also barely dry enough to avoid mold growth and have a high interstitial air volume due to its porous nature which will require extra oxygen absorbers. Using Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers will extend the life of dry pet food, but it is important to continuously rotate your storage every 3 to 4 months (or until the expiration dates on the packages) to avoid mold growth. Your dry pet food should also be stored in a cool, dry place but this is still only a short-term solution.

Canned food will last longer than dry food but may not be cost efficient and will take up a lot of space in your food storage.

The best options for long term pet food storage are freeze dried foods or making your own pet food. Freeze-dried pet food has become easier to find. Check out your local pet store or online to find out what is best suited for your pet. Freeze dried foods can be stored in our Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers for well over 25 years! Our 5 mil heavy duty Mylar bags are even rated to preserve your food for 100 years!

If finding freeze-dried pet food is not an option, creating your own pet food is also ideal. There are plenty of well-developed shelf-stable recipes for this online.

Please note: Oxygen Absorbers must only be used with food that has a low moisture content. (under 15%) If a food product normally requires refrigeration after opening then that means it is susceptible to anaerobic bacteria and needs to be canned or frozen to be stored long-term.

It is also important to keep in mind that just like when creating a storage plan for your family, think of the likes and needs of your pets. Plan to have a variety of meals and consider storing the ingredient list of what is in each meal, just in case.

Storage:

Instead of using a 5 gallon bucket to store a large quantity of only one item, use the container to hold several smaller bags of that product or of different products. Smaller amounts are more convenient when it comes time to use them, and you won't need to unseal more than you need.

Rotate your food supply by using it and replacing it. Oxygen Absorbers with appropriate containers can keep food safe for decades, but it is a much better idea to keep a rotation going than to test the limits of your food storage system.

Your pet’s food is well-protected and can be stored just about anywhere, but ideally, store food at least 6 inches off the ground in a cool, dark place.

Consider storing food in multiple places. If a disaster occurs, then you may be prevented from reaching some places.



Create your pet’s food storage today!



Need help with long term food storage? Send us a message or give us a call! We are always happy to help. We feel it is vital that our customers preserving for the future are 100% confident in the protection offered by our products.

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