Storing dry food?

[suzeanna]

Hi all,

Do you have any suggestions/favorites when it comes to storing dry food/kibble? Is glass or plastic better? My cat gets very little kibble each day (~4 grams), so I need something to store the majority of it in. Normally I keep a couple cups of it at a time in double freezer bags, but in a short time span while we were away, she tore two holes into and ate directly out of the bag it came in (), so we need a better storage solution.

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide!

 

[Norachan]

Plastic tends to harbor bacteria, so glass is better in the long term. I use large glass storage jars with screw top lids. The food stays really fresh in those.

Get the jars with the wide necks, as they are easy to refill, clean and pour from.

 

[suzeanna]

Plastic tends to harbor bacteria, so glass is better in the long term. I use large glass storage jars with screw top lids. The food stays really fresh in those.

Get the jars with the wide necks, as they are easy to refill, clean and pour from.

Thank you so much!

 

[Tobermory]

I give my girls kibble as a treat only so it lasts a long time. My vet advised me to freeze it for three days to kill any food storage mites it might have and then keep it in the fridge to prevent it from getting stale or rancid. I freeze it in freezer ziplocks then transition it into a glass container in the fridge.

 

[StanAndAlf]

Air tight is best, but as mine gets used everyday I keep the majority in the bag it came in, which has a clip seal. Then I refill a steel tin with a plastic garbage bag (unscented) lining it. I replace the bag every time I refill the tin.

 

[Babypinkweeb]

I use glass as I learned that plastic can lead to bacteria (same reason why people don't recomment plastic food bowls) and fats going rancid. I found this big glass jar from Ikea really good as it has a fat opening making scooping easy. It has a clasp air tight lid that is plastic but it never touches the food so I don't mind it. I put this jar inside a bin that houses some other cat stuff so it is safe from sunlight.

IKEA 365+ jar with lid, glass/plastic, 112 oz - IKEA

IKEA 365+ jar with lid, glass/plastic, 112 oz Do you like gazpacho? In this glass jar with a leak-proof lid, it stays fresh for a long, long time… Store it in the fridge or bring it on a picnic as a fresh appetizer.

www.ikea.com

 

[Norachan]

Air tight is best, but as mine gets used everyday I keep the majority in the bag it came in, which has a clip seal. Then I refill a steel tin with a plastic garbage bag (unscented) lining it. I replace the bag every time I refill the tin.

That creates a lot of plastic waste though. It's better to avoid plastic whenever possible. As most dry food is sold in plastic bags it's unavoidable in that case, but whenever you can glass jars and steel or ceramic bowls are better.

 

[StanAndAlf]

That creates a lot of plastic waste though. It's better to avoid plastic whenever possible. As most dry food is sold in plastic bags it's unavoidable in that case, but whenever you can glass jars and steel or ceramic bowls are better.

Oh my God, thank you for pointing that out! It's usually only one bag a week max, but you are right, a lot of unnecessary waste. Can't believe I didn't look at it that way before.

 

[vince]

I keep the dry food in the bag in which it came and transfer it periodically to a plastic storage box that holds about a week's food. That way, it doesn't stay in contact with the plastic very long. I don't just refill, but feed the cats until the box is empty, wash and dry, then refill.

It's worked fine for the past four years or so. I had to containerize it because my cats are acrobatic enough to climb up in the pantry and get into the bag. I keep the original bag out in the garage now, and keep the plastic box in the oven (no, I don't bake very much any more).

 

[LTS3]

There's dry food storage suggestions here:

https://thecatsite.com/threads/food-storage-question.427590

 

[corvidae]

We have an incredibly conniving and food-motivated former stray, Merle, who will do just about anything to get to anything even food-related, including garbage. After a few foiled attempts to keep him out of previous storage solutions, we now keep dry food in a Vittles Vault in the 15lb size. It's made of plastic that is very sturdy and also food safe, and it closes in a way that Merle hasn't figured out how to open in the 6 months we've had it, so it works for us!