7 Tips to Keep Your Pet’s Food Fresh

Most pet owners may be already well aware of how important it is to nourish your pet with high-quality pet food. However, just like any other food, pet food gets stale and can even go bad over time when it is not properly protected from the elements.

If you can keep your pet’s food fresh for as long as possible, it will save your money and ensure that your pet can always have fresh food. Below we’ve put together a list of 7 practical storage tips to keep your pet food fresh:

1.BUY ONLY WHAT YOU NEED

Just like human food, pet food gets stale and can even go bad over time. Although most dry or canned foods usually have a long shelf life, they won’t stay fresh forever. Besides, once you open dry pet food, it should be consumed within four to six weeks. For all of these reasons, you should only order as much as your pet would need for about 30 days. Below are two tips on purchasing pet food:

• Purchase small packages of food is a good choice. If you have one pet, it is a good idea to buy your pet food in small bags, which helps to ensure that your pet is receiving fresh food. If you have multiple cats, you may want to consider a larger bag of pet food.
• You can also integrate purchase with your friends. You can buy pet food at a cheap price with your cat/dog friends whose cat or dog also eats the same pet food. It is the most affordable way to both of you. What’s more, your pet can eat the food in a short time to prevent the food from spoiling.

2.KEEP THE FOOD IN ITS ORIGINAL BAG

You’ve probably noticed that dog food tends to come in thick bags with a resealable top. We should keep the food in its original bag, that is because: (1) The bag is made specifically to store pet food for a long period of time. If you take the food out of the original bag, you are exposing them to the outside air and causing them to turn rancid much more quickly. (2) If you keep the food in its original bag, you won’t lose the original instructions and expiration date - information that you should always keep an eye on.

3.PUT THE BAG IN A SEALED CONTAINER

As you keep the food in its original bag, the best solution is to place the original bag into a sealed container, such as a mental or tin bin with a lid. A container made of glass or stainless steel will be great. This way you get the benefit of the original bag and the sealed, airtight container. This will help ensure that your food stays fresher, longer.

4.STORE THE FOOD IN A COOL, DRY, DARK PLACE

Dry pet food should be stored in a cool and dry place that does not exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit ( 38 degrees Celsius ). Keep your dog food and cat food in a cool, dry spot, preferably inside your home, such as a pantry, storage closet or cellar.

You should also avoid sunlight as much as possible, since light will increase the speed at which the food degrades. Besides, never store cat food in a garage because you can not control the environment. If you keep your pet food in an enclosed space with unregulated temperatures, like a garage or a shed, it may get exposed to soaring temperatures that hasten its natural decomposition.

5.USE WITHIN 45 DAYS AFTER OPENING

Just like human food, pet food has an expiration date on it. Most pet food has a 1 year shelf-life from the time of purchase. Once you open the bag of food, the expiration date marked on the bag is no longer valid. Opened bags of dog or cat food have a shelf-life of 45 days - this rule is true for all dry pet food brands. So you’d better use

6.NEVER MIX OLD & NEW PET FOOD

Some pet owners will pour the old food into the new bag when they buy a new bag of pet food. Actually we should not mix old and new pet food together. Why? Actually that old food is more likely to contain some bacteria or germs, and if you add it to the new bag, you’ll be tainting the new food with additional bacteria. It’s best to use up the old food first before you open the new bag. This way the new food will be completely sealed as long as possible before being opened, keeping it fresher, longer.

7.WASH YOUR PET FOOD CONTAINER FROM TIME TO TIME

As we mentioned, the best way to store pet food is to keep food in the original bag and then put the bag in a sealed container. It’s good to wash and disinfect the inside of the container whenever you replace the food with a new bag. Otherwise, fat reside from the food could seep out of the bag and into the container, making it a breeding ground for bacteria.