Here is a very good article covering the basics of long-term food storage. This covers foods to store, water and containers as well as what NOT to store, among other things.
Great article by Denise Turner, a fellow Master Food Preserver. Thank you Denise!
Long-Term Food Storage Basics
By Denise Turner, MFP, San Bernardino County
Food preservation and food storage, has been done by every culture and at nearly every moment in time. Food begins to spoil the moment it's harvested. Food preservation allowed ancient man to live in one place and form a community. He no longer had to harvest or kill immediately, but could preserve a portion for later.
Some anthropologists believe that mankind settled down from nomadic wanderers into farmers to grow barley to make beer in roughly 10,000 BC. Beer was nutritious and the alcohol was divine. It was treated as a gift from the gods.
What is Long Term Food Storage?
Long-term food storage consists of emergency foods for one or more years. Long term food storage emphasizes a mixture of canned and dried goods that can safely be stored for years.
Food Safety
Foodborne illnesses can come from three sources: PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL and BIOLOGICAL.
Physical Hazards include stone, glass, insects, or any other non-edible debris.
Chemical Hazards include non-food containers, cleaners, and pesticides.
Biological Hazards include all of the micro-organisms and bacteria that cause food borne disease, including botulism.
Food Quality & Emergency Food Storage
Foods naturally deteriorate as they age. The science of food storage and preservation has evolved with our attempts to slow down our food's deterioration. When it comes to preserving the shelf-life quality of foods, the primary concern is preventing spoilage micro-organisms from growing.
Oxygen is the next factor. Oxygen catalyzes chemical reactions that lead to rancidity. In most cases removing oxygen will extend the food's shelf-life quality.
Moisture and temperature are the two critical factors in optimal food storage.
Moisture: The humidity in the storage area should be low. If dried foods pick up moisture from storage area, mold, yeast and bacteria can grow, which can lead to spoilage and food-borne illness. Moisture can also lead to the breakdown of some packaging materials (paper degradation and metal rusting).
Temperature: The optimal temperature is in the cool and moderate range, approximately 40-70 F. If storage area temperatures are higher, rotate products as needed to maintain quality.
Other Factors: Direct sunlight or heat from the sunlight speed up food's deterioration and packaging. Protect cooking oil and products stored in PETE plastic bottles from light and store foods off the floor to allow for air circulation. Flooring materials, especially raw concrete, can leak chemicals into stored food.
Please go to next post: Long-term Food Storage Basics Pt. B