Food storage: Difference between revisions

'''Food storage''' is a way of decreasing the variability of the food supply in the face of natural, inevitable variability.<ref name="Lawrence-2014">{{cite book | last=Lawrence | first=R.J. | editor-last=Freedman | editor-first=Bill | title=Global environmental change | publisher=Springer | publication-place=Dordrecht | year=2014 | isbn=978-94-007-5783-7 | oclc=888154438 | language=en | pages=XXVII+973}} {{isbn|978-94-007-5784-4}} {{isbn|978-94-007-5785-1}} p.{{nbs}}507</ref> It allows [[food]] to be eaten for some time (typically weeks to months) after [[harvest]] rather than solely immediately. It is both a traditional [[home economics|domestic skill]] (mainly as [[root cellar]]ing) and, in the form of '''food logistics''', an important industrial and commercial activity. [[Food preservation]], storage, and [[transport]], including timely delivery to [[Consumer|consumers]], are important to [[food security]], especially for the majority of people throughout the world who rely on others to produce their food.

Significant losses of food are caused by inadequate storage conditions as well as decisions made at earlier stages of the supply chain, which predispose products to a shorter shelf life.<ref name="Butler-2014">{{cite book | last=Butler | first=C.D. | editor-last=Freedman | editor-first=Bill | title=Global environmental change | publisher=Springer | publication-place=Dordrecht | year=2014 | isbn=978-94-007-5783-7 | oclc=888154438 | language=en | pages=XXVII+973}} {{isbn|978-94-007-5784-4}} {{isbn|978-94-007-5785-1}} p.{{nbs}}645</ref> Adequate cold storage, in particular, can be crucial to prevent quantitative and qualitative food losses.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca6122en|title=The State of Food and Agriculture 2019. Moving forward on food loss and waste reduction, In brief|publisher=FAO|year=2019|location=Rome|pages=12}}</ref>.

*Preparedness for catastrophes, [[emergency|emergencies]] and periods of food scarcity or famine, whether as basic [[emergency management#Preparedness|emergency preparedness]] (for most people) or in its more extreme form of [[survivalism|survivalism (prepping)]]

*Religious reasons (Example: for example, leaders in the [[LDS Church]] (aka:The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) leaders instruct church members to store food).<ref name="providentliving">[http://providentliving.org/channel/0,11677,1706-1,00.html "Provident Living."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111029094604/http://providentliving.org/channel/0,11677,1706-1,00.html |date=2011-10-29 }}, Latter Day Saints Family Home Storage.</ref>

Food storage in refrigerators may not be safe unless there is close adherence to temperature guidelines. In general the temperature should be mainntainedmaintained at {{convert|4|C|F}} or below but never below {{convert|1|C|F}}.<ref name="Refrigeration and Food Safety">{{Cite web|title=Refrigeration and Food Safety|publisher=United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service|date=May 2010|url=http://www.fsis.usda.gov/pdf/refrigeration_and_food_safety.pdf|access-date=2011-11-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130220100939/http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Refrigeration_and_Food_Safety.pdf|archive-date=2013-02-20|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Metal cans are used (in the [[United States]] the smallest practical grain storage uses closed-top #10 metal cans measuring about 3 to 3.5 liters). Storage in [[Flour sack|grain sacks]] is ineffective; mold and pests destroy a 25&nbsp;kg cloth sack of grain in a year, even if stored off the ground in a dry area. On the ground or damp concrete, grain can spoil in as little as three days, and the grain might have to be dried before it can be [[millmilling (factorygrinding)|milled]]. Food stored under unsuitable conditions should not be purchased or used because of risk of spoilage. To test whether grain is still good, it can be sprouted. If it sprouts, it is still good, but if not, it should not be eaten.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/safe-food-handling/the-big-thaw-safe-defrosting-methods-for-consumers|title=The Big Thaw|website=www.fsis.usda.gov|language=en|access-date=2018-02-05}}</ref> It may take up to a week for grains to sprout. When in doubt about the safety of the food, throw it out as quickly as possible.

Unpreserved meat has only a relatively short life in storage. [[Perishable]] meats should be [[Refrigeration|refrigerated]], [[Frozen food|frozen]], [[Drying (food)|dried]] promptly or [[Curing (food preservation)|cured]]. Storage of fresh meats is a complex discipline that affects the costs, storage life and eating quality of the meat, and the appropriate techniques vary with the kind of meat and the particular requirements.<ref>Michael Richardson, Kim Matthews, Chris Lloyd, Katie Brian. Meat quality and shelf life. Better Returns Programme [[EBLEX]] Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board. brp_b_betterreturnsfrommeatmanual-meatqualityandshelflife.pdf [http://www.eblex.org.uk] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015194307/http://www.eblex.org.uk/ |date=2012-10-15 }}</ref> For example, [[Beef aging|dry ageing]] techniques are sometimes used to tenderize gourmet [[meat]]s by [[Meat hanging|hanging]] them in carefully controlled environments for up to 21 days, while game animals of various kinds may be hung after shooting. Details depend on personal tastes and local traditions.<ref>Editors of Creative Publishing. Dressing & Cooking Wild Game. Publisher: Creative Publishing international 1999 {{ISBN|978-0865731080}}</ref> Modern techniques of preparing meat for storage vary with the type of meat and special requirements of tenderness, flavour, hygiene, and economy.<ref>Matthews, K. R. Review of published literature and unpublished research on factors influencing beef quality. [[EBLEX]] R&D UK Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board 2011 rd_qs_b_-_meatqualityreview2010-beef.pdf from [http://www.eblex.org.uk/research/meat-quality.aspx] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130324054312/http://www.eblex.org.uk/research/meat-quality.aspx |date=2013-03-24 }}</ref>

** ''[[Food and bioprocessBioprocess technologyTechnology]]''