To store canned foods wisely, follow these guidelines. Store in a cool, clean, and dry place, where temperatures are below 85°F (50-70°F is good), but no freezing temperatures. Rotate the foods so that the older ones are used first. Try not to store canned food for more than 1 year.
Commercially canned foods can be a great way to build a healthy store of a variety of foods. You can build your grocery store in the short term with a very small budget if you look closely at sales. Box batch sales may or may not have the best prices on canned food. Sometimes, the best deals are in regular weekly announcements.
Always check the dates on cans to make sure you are buying cans of fresh food. One of the benefits of these larger cans is the ability to store them. Unlike glass jars or even large plastic containers, they don't break or crack easily if dropped. The best possible way to keep a large quantity of canned food for use in any disaster is to constantly rotate your supply.
One of the biggest mistakes novice preparers make with emergency food storage is forgetting that it can go wrong. If you decide to store a significant amount of canned food, make sure they are in a temperature-stable environment (preferably in a cool place) and, if possible, turn them over so that they are always fresh. From the French Army of the 1800s to the countless backyard bomb shelters of the 1960s, using canned food as a means of ensuring you always have a supply of fresh food available is a proven strategy. The reason this can is popular with emergency preparers like you is that it can hold about a gallon of food in a can.
So how long does canned food last? And how do you ensure that your emergency canned food supply stays safe to eat? A short-term supply of non-perishable food can be stored under a bed in rolling bags designed for storage. If advanced creativity is required, you might consider burying an old freezer or an airtight barrel to store your valuable supplies. As long as you have other containers, such as food storage bags or canning supplies, you can take out leftover food and divide them into smaller sizes. For example, powdered milk, canned eggs or meat, and emergency rations are OK while camping or during an emergency.
By pulling the front of the shelf and placing the newly purchased cans on the back, you can ensure that you are always rotating your supply. While ensuring optimal storage conditions isn't as critical for canned foods as it is for other types of food, it can certainly help extend the shelf life of your food, especially if you're not the best at remembering to turn your emergency food supply around. Another version of a basement storage room belongs to a security manager and a school district employee who have done a great job creating a food supply in an unfinished basement warehouse.
