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Storage of Dog Foods
If you are out in the market to buy dog food storage container, what should you look for?
- Material (plastic, steel, wood, others): Plastics can leach vitamin C out of the food and the components of the plastics themselves may leach into the food.
- Amount of food it will hold: Buy small, fresh bags of food, enough to last seven days. Look for manufacturing or best if used by dates on the bag. Keep larger bags in the freezer. This is the only way large quantities of food may be kept safely.
- Size and shape: Depending on the available storage space in your house.
- Amount of food it will hold
- Durability
- Airtight
- Lid design (screw top, hinged, cap, dispenser): Is it easy to open and close?
- How easily it can be clean
- Is it spill proof, bug proof
- Does it keep food safe and fresh?
- Is the container well guaranteed by it’s manufacturer ?
A perfect dog food storage container would be a sturdy, airtight, bug-proof pot that is easy to clean and large enough for an entire bag of kibble. Lids using screw help prevent access to small children and pets while keeping food fresh. Indented handles on larger containers are helpful for moving in and out of the storage area when refilling.
How to safely store dog food?
An open bag of dog food generally lasts about 8 weeks. This lengthy storage time and poor storage conditions often lead to nutrient degradation, oxidation of fats and invasion by fungus, insects and other food spoilers.
Dry dog foods usually have just one-year shelf life if the packet is sealed air-tight. That means the food is good up to one year after the manufacturing date if still unopened. Companies manufacturing high-quality dog food use bags that provide protection from oxygen and moisture. If the bag is intact, not enough oxygen and moisture can enter into the food in one year to cause oxidation or microbial growth problems.
Recommendations:- Keep food in its original bag, even if you use a container. Plastics can leak vitamin C out of the food.
- Buy small, fresh bags of food, enough to last a week.
- Keep food dry. If the food looks moist, throw it away.
- Keep larger bags in the freezer to keep food safe.
- If the food has changed colour or smells rancid, throw it away.
- Don't buy bags that are torn.
- Avoid any container that has a poor seal between lid and storage compartment.
- Make sure container is chew proof and pet proof and limit access to pets. Animals that overeat on free access to food or eat the container are at risk of serious medical problems.
When buying storage container for your dog, you need to take numerous things into consideration, such as: your dog's breed, dog's age (puppy, adult, senior,) dog's size, dog's health, and how much do you plan on spending.