The long-term shelf life of food relies directly upon where the food is kept, and the storage containers responsible for protecting the food. Therefore, long-term food storage containers and a location that remains cool, dry, and dark are essential for adequate long-term food storage. You simply cannot have one without the other.
If you are starting your food storage journey and are wondering what long-term storage containers are best, or if you are upgrading your current setup, keep reading to learn about 10 of our favorite containers that are perfect for storing food.
There is a lot to think about when it comes to setting up your prepper pantry. This is especially true for thinking about what types of long-term storage containers you want to utilize. To help you guide your decision-making, we recommend focusing on the following five factors that could ruin your storage and spoil your food:
Selecting a strategic location is step one to prevent any of these five factors from spoiling your food. After that, step two will be selecting the appropriate long-term food storage containers.
Nowadays, many processed foods come in relatively robust packaging. For foods like crackers, cookies, jams, bags of rice, frozen fruit, and peanut butter, the best option may be to keep the food in its original packaging.
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Mylar bags are one of the most widely used food-safe containers for long-term storage. When combined with a vacuum sealer and oxygen absorbers, and utilized by professionals or a diligent prepper, mylar bags are great at keeping food fresh for the long term. They work especially well for dehydrated foods, especially when kept inside another larger container.
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Before mylar bags,
mason jars and other glass containers were the epitome of food storage. They have an old-school aesthetic that looks great in the pantry and is highly effective. That is why, to this day, mason jars are still one of the most popular food storage devices. You would be hard-pressed to find a pantry filled to the brim with
survival food that didn’t have some glass mason jars.
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Food-grade buckets are hard to beat when it comes to storing a large amount of food in one place. They come in various sizes (though five-gallon buckets are the most popular), and can be used for practically any type of food. In addition, they are constructed with high-quality plastic that won’t leach into your food and expose you to dangerous chemicals.
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Square food-grade buckets are the obvious evolution to conventional, circular food-grade buckets. They have all the components that high-quality circular buckets have, but are more easily stacked and stored. As a result, square buckets are better for storing large amounts of food, such as
bulk rice and beans, freeze-dried meat, fruits, and vegetables.
$249.95
Pros: Cons: A well-designed prepper pantry is truly a sight to behold. They are clean and contain a variety of delicious and nutritious foods. But one of their most essential qualities is that they are organized. Everything is labeled and has a certain spot. In addition, the well-devised
pantry organization makes food storage reliable and easy to use. For example, stackable can organizers are one of our favorite ways to keep a pantry organized. Pros: Cons: Not all your food needs to go in your prepper pantry. Sometimes you need to be creative. This is especially true for those living with less space in urban environments and focused on
urban prepping. For example, one of the most under-utilized spaces for food storage is under the bed. Pros: Cons: This article is focused on long-term food storage, but in a survival scenario, water is prioritized before food. Therefore, it would be negligent not to mention water.
Water storage is critical, not only for drinking water, but also for potable water used for washing, cooking, cleaning, and bathing. A diverse selection of individual water bottles, larger plastic jugs, and even larger water barrels is essential for adequate
long-term water storage. Pros: Cons: Using plastic containers for long-term food storage makes sense because you already have many of them lying around the house. They are perfect for packing lunches and storing leftovers in the fridge—so why not use them for food storage? Plastic Tupperware is most effective as an organizer for smaller foods; for example, for separating different flavors of breakfast bars. Pros: Cons: In prepping or during the throes of an emergency, there isn’t always an elegant solution. Sometimes, the cheapest, most convenient option is what you require. Imagine needing to quickly move food from point A to B or packing a little extra in your bug-out bags. That’s where plastic bottles come in handy. Pros: Cons: The emergency food you stockpile is only as good as the containers you keep it in and the processes by which you keep everything stored. Now that we’ve talked about the 10 types of long-term food storage containers, we wanted to leave you with some tips to maximize the shelf-life of your food. Adequate long-term food storage relies on two critical components. The first is selecting a strategic location that is protected, cool, dry, and dark. The second is using a selection of long-term food storage containers that protect your food, are easy to use, and can effectively utilize your space. We hope you found this article helpful. To learn more about long-term food storage, visit our
Practical Prepper Blog. Or, to get involved in the community, check out our
Facebook Group. Lastly, if you have any questions about emergency survival food, don’t hesitate to
contact one of our product experts. We are happy to help!
Freeze-Dried Meat 6 Pack
6. Pantry Organizers
7. Under the Bed Storage Containers
8. Water Storage Containers
9. Plastic Tupperware for Long-Term Storage
10. Plastic Bottles
Tips for Long-Term Food Storage Containers
Final Thoughts On Your Storage Container Choices