---
title: "Long-Term Food Storage for Beginners"
url: https://waronfood.org/pantry/long-term-food-storage/
category: pantry
type: article
status: stable
published: 2026-10-07
last_updated: 2026-10-07
summary: "How to store dry staples for years, not months: the five enemies of stored food, the right containers, what lasts and what doesn't, and how to rotate it."
description: "A calm beginner's guide to long-term food storage: rotation, mylar bags, oxygen absorbers, buckets, and what lasts for decades, per extension research."
keyword: "long term food storage"
attribution: "War on Food (waronfood.org)"
---

# Long-Term Food Storage for Beginners

> A calm beginner's guide to long-term food storage: rotation, mylar bags, oxygen absorbers, buckets, and what lasts for decades, per extension research.

## Key takeaways

- Long-term food storage means dry, low-moisture staples sealed away from oxygen, moisture, light, heat and pests.
- In BYU research, properly packaged wheat and white rice were still acceptable after 30 or more years; oils and dried eggs lasted closer to 2.
- Oxygen absorbers are only for dry foods with about 10% moisture or less, sealed in airtight containers such as mylar bags or #10 cans.
- Temperature matters most: store food indoors in a cool, steady spot, not a garage or attic.
- Store what you already eat and rotate it, oldest first.

Long-term food storage means keeping dry, low-moisture staples like wheat, white rice, dried beans and oats sealed away from oxygen, moisture, light, heat and pests. Packed that way and kept cool, BYU research found wheat and white rice still acceptable after 30 or more years. The rest is choosing good containers and rotating what you store.

None of this requires a bunker or a fear of the future. It is the same idea as a full pantry, stretched over years instead of months, and it is a sensible way to buy staples in bulk without watching them go stale.

## What are the enemies of stored food?

Five things shorten the life of stored food. BYU food scientist Oscar Pike sums up the first four with the acronym **HALT**: humidity, air, light and temperature. Pests make five.

1. **Temperature.** Pike calls it the most crucial factor. USU Extension cites the USDA rule that for every 10.8°F rise in temperature, the shelf life of stored food is cut in half. USU recommends a steady 40–60°F.
2. **Moisture.** Damp food molds and spoils, and damp air corrodes cans and lids. For long-term storage, USU says foods need a moisture content of 10% or less.
3. **Oxygen.** Oxygen makes fats go rancid and lets insects survive. Removing it is the job of oxygen absorbers and airtight packaging.
4. **Light.** Light degrades the nutritional value of food, USU notes. Store in the dark or in opaque containers.
5. **Pests.** Insects and rodents. Sealed, hard-sided containers keep rodents out; low oxygen and freezing handle insects.

**Tip:** Store food indoors. A closet, the space under a bed, or a basement that stays cool all year beats a garage that swings from freezing to hot.

## What food lasts the longest?

The foods that store best are dry, low in fat and low in moisture. In BYU's study of food from home storage, samples had been packed in #10 cans with low oxygen levels and stored at room temperature or below. Here's what the researchers found, as reported by BYU Magazine and Church News:

| Food | How long it stayed acceptable |
|---|---|
| Wheat | 30+ years |
| White rice | 30+ years |
| Dried (pinto) beans | up to 30 years |
| Rolled oats | up to 30 years |
| Pasta (macaroni) | up to 30 years |
| Potato flakes | up to 30 years |
| Dried apple slices | up to 30 years |
| Nonfat dry milk | about 20 years |
| Salad (vegetable) oil | about 2 years |
| Dried eggs | about 2 years |

Temperature changes the picture. Church News, reporting the same research, notes that dehydrated carrots stayed edible for 10 years at room temperature or below but became inedible within a few months when stored just 10 degrees warmer. USU Extension's white-rice work agrees on the long end: polished white rice sealed and stored properly keeps for 25–30 years, and up to about 10 years even at a constant 70°F when sealed with oxygen absorbers.

Pike adds an important point: nutrients decline over time, but there is still enough nutritional value to justify storing dry foods long-term.

## What doesn't store well?

Anything with oil or moisture in it has a much shorter life, even when sealed:

- **Whole-wheat flour, brown rice and other whole-grain products.** The oils in the germ and bran go rancid. K-State lists brown rice at 1 year at 70°F, against 1–2 years for white rice in the same conditions. Store whole grains as intact kernels and grind as needed, or freeze the flour.
- **Nuts, seeds and nut butters.** High in fat. Freeze or rotate them quickly.
- **Cooking oils and shortening.** K-State lists vegetable oil at 6 months unopened. Rotate them through everyday cooking.
- **Moist foods.** Anything above about 10% moisture is not a candidate for oxygen-free packaging (see the safety box below).

## Which containers should you use?

USU Extension recommends food-grade containers of plastic, metal or glass with a hermetic (airtight) seal. Suitable options include:

- **#10 cans** with food-grade enamel lining. The BYU samples were stored in these.
- **Mylar-type or foil pouches.** They block light and oxygen. Seal them with an iron or impulse sealer. On their own they don't stop rodents, so keep them inside a bucket or bin.
- **Food-grade buckets** with tight-sealing lids, often lined with a mylar bag.
- **PETE plastic bottles** (the kind marked with recycling code 1) for dry goods. USU's rice page lists food-safe PETE alongside glass jars.
- **Glass jars** for smaller amounts, kept in the dark.

Avoid buckets that once held non-food products, and avoid trash bags or thin plastic as the only barrier.

## How do oxygen absorbers work?

Oxygen absorbers are small packets of iron powder that react with oxygen in a sealed container. USU Extension explains that once the oxygen is removed, what's left is about 99% pure nitrogen in a partial vacuum. That keeps fats from oxidizing and stops insects from surviving.

How to use them:

1. Fill your mylar bags, cans or jars with dry food first.
2. Open the absorber package last, and work quickly. Absorbers start working as soon as they hit air.
3. Add the number and size the absorber manufacturer recommends for your container.
4. Seal immediately.
5. Store unused absorbers in a small airtight jar so they don't get used up.

**Safety:** Use oxygen absorbers only with dry foods that have about 10% moisture or less. USU Extension warns that storing moist foods in reduced-oxygen packaging creates a risk of botulism. Do not seal fresh, partly dried or home-dried foods that aren't fully dry this way. Home-canned food has its own rules; follow [tested canning instructions](https://waronfood.org/pantry/how-to-can-tomatoes/).

## How do you rotate food storage?

Rotation keeps food from quietly aging past its best. The basic method is **first in, first out**:

1. Label every container with what's inside and the date you packed it.
2. Put new food at the back or bottom, older food at the front.
3. Cook from the front.
4. Check your shelves a couple of times a year, and replace what you've used.

How strict to be depends on the food. Pike notes that sealed dry foods don't need rotating as often as people once thought. Pantry-shelf foods are different: K-State's cupboard chart puts most of them at months to a couple of years. Home-canned food should be eaten within about a year; the NCHFP advises canning no more than you will use in a year and storing jars between 50 and 70°F. The [pantry staples checklist](https://waronfood.org/pantry/staples-checklist/) lists the shorter shelf lives.

## How much food should you store?

Start with what you eat. The food-storage plan described alongside BYU's research, from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, begins with a three-month supply of familiar foods, plus drinking water, before a longer-term supply of dried staples. That order makes sense for anyone: a few weeks of familiar food is more useful than a year of wheat you don't know how to cook.

A good beginner plan:

1. Stock a few weeks of the meals you already make, from the [pantry staples checklist](https://waronfood.org/pantry/staples-checklist/).
2. Add a bucket each of white rice, dried beans and rolled oats or wheat.
3. Learn to cook with them, so they become part of your normal rotation.
4. Add home-canned tomatoes in season and fats like [rendered tallow](https://waronfood.org/pantry/render-tallow/), rotating them through the year.

A freezer full of a [half cow share](https://waronfood.org/local-food/half-a-cow-cost/) is long-term storage too, as long as the power stays on. Dry staples are the part that doesn't depend on it.

## FAQ

**What foods last the longest in storage?**

Dry, low-moisture staples. BYU research found wheat and white rice acceptable after 30 or more years, and dried beans, rolled oats, pasta, potato flakes and dried apples up to about 30 years, when packaged in sealed, low-oxygen containers and kept at room temperature or below.

**How many oxygen absorbers do I need?**

It depends on the container size and the food, so follow the absorber manufacturer's chart. Utah State University Extension's key rule is to use them only with dry foods of about 10% moisture or less, in airtight packaging.

**Can I store food in a 5-gallon bucket?**

Yes, if the bucket is food-grade and seals tightly. Sealed buckets are on USU Extension's list of suitable containers; many people also line them with a mylar bag for an extra oxygen and light barrier.

**Where is the best place to store long-term food?**

Indoors, somewhere cool, dark, dry and steady. USU Extension recommends 40 to 60°F, and BYU's Oscar Pike calls temperature the most crucial factor. Avoid garages, attics and spots near furnaces.

**Do I need to rotate long-term food storage?**

Less often than once thought for sealed dry goods, according to BYU research, but you should still eat from your storage and replace what you use. Pantry-shelf foods and anything frozen should be rotated first in, first out.


## Sources

1. [Utah State University Extension — How Can I Get the Most Out of My Food Storage?](https://extension.usu.edu/news_sections/home_family_and_food/get_the_most_of_food_storage.php)
2. [Utah State University Extension — Storing White Rice](https://extension.usu.edu/preserve-the-harvest/research/storing-white-rice.php)
3. [BYU Magazine — Ask an Expert: New Tips for Old Food](https://magazine.byu.edu/article/ask-an-expert-new-tips-for-old-food)
4. [Church News — Home food storage lasts 30 years or more (BYU research)](https://www.thechurchnews.com/2008/1/19/23232160/home-food-storage-lasts-30-years-or-more/)
5. [National Center for Home Food Preservation — Storing Home Canned Foods](https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can/general-information/storing-home-canned-foods)
6. [Kansas State University Extension — Safe Food Storage: The Cupboard (MF3131)](https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/download/safe-food-storage-the-cupboard_MF3131)

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Cite as: [Long-Term Food Storage for Beginners](https://waronfood.org/pantry/long-term-food-storage/), War on Food (waronfood.org), last updated 2026-10-07.