Many people ask us how to store pet food so it remains fresh. Not only would they want to feed the best food to their pets, but food that goes off is essentially wasted money! Today we will list a few points how to store pet food so it remains fresh for a tasty meal :)
Before you buy…
How long food remains fresh depends on how fresh you get it in the first place. In order to ensure the longest freshness possible you must make sure that what you buy is of good quality to start off with.
Check the Expiry / Best Before Date.
As obvious as it may seem, many people overlook the expiry / best before date on the packaging! There can be cases where pet shops buy stock that is close to it’s expiry and therefore cheaper. This stock is sold at normal retail prices therefore leaving the pet shop with more profit.
The first rule that you just follow is to buy food that has been recently produced and has not been sitting in the warehouse for a long time.
We at Pet Food Malta work on a FIFO (First In First Out) policy to make sure that no item is stagnant in our store!
Check the Packaging!
It is useless to store pet food that has not been sealed properly in its original packaging. In most cases you would realise when the packaging is not intact, especially in the case of wet food as it would smell really bad. Avoid packages that have visual signs of wear and / or have been repaired with tape or something of the sort.
Make sure that the packaging is intact and sealed properly!
Storing Pet Food so it Remains Fresh at Home.
Now that you have bought your fresh, sealed and good food, it is time to store it properly at home so it does not lose it freshness.
Choose Proper, Good Quality Storage Containers.
The most important thing is to have a good container that provides a good seal. When food comes in contact with air it will start to decompose and eventually go off. Your job is to make sure that the food comes into contact with as little air as possible.
Plastic containers can scratch easily and the scratches can house bacteria which spoils the food. Therefore, the container should be made of glass. Glass is the ideal material as it can be cleaned properly, does not scratch and does not leech chemicals into the food.
Choose a glass container that is airtight.
Use the Original Packaging.
In the case of dry food you may struggle to find a big enough container. We always suggest to keep dry food in its original bag and to seal it properly. Most serious pet food brands package the food in resealable bags. In such cases your best container would be the original packaging.
Some brands have resealable dry food bags that make it easier!
Storage Conditions!
The second most important thing when storing pet food at home is to make sure that you store it in a good place. It is very important to find a cool place which is also dry and away from direct sunlight.
The cooler the place the less bacteria and fungi grow. Similarly, the dryer the place the less microbial activity. It is very important to avoid direct sunlight as the sun’s radiation energy can decompose the actual nutrients withing the food!
Choose a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
Store it Off the Ground.
When storing pet food, particularly dry food, make sure to store it off the ground. Put it on some shelf or cupboard to reduce the chance that ants or other insects get to it. You want to feed your expensive food to your pet and not the ants!
So to be safe, put the food on a shelf or in a cupboard.
Use Lids for Canned Wet Food.
If you open a can of wet food and do not use all of it, do not just leave it on the counter! You can buy plastic lids that you can put on the can to keep the freshness until the next feeding. Put any opened canned food in the fridge.
Although such lids do not provide a 100% seal, they are perfect to retain the freshness for a day or so. Additionally, they help to keep your fridge clean and odour free.
Lids come in various sizes and fit every can.
The Usual Stuff…
I will not bore you with the usual and obvious stuff.
The bottom line is to use common sense when storing pet food so it remains fresh. Treat the pet food as if it was your own food an store it in a way that you would store your own food.
Last but not least!
If in doubt that the food you stored is not good, then throw it away. You would not want to risk upsetting your pet! Not to mention extra vet bills and you would still need to buy new fresh food!
So do the wise choice and store your pet food properly or else throw it away if ti goes off.