Will freezing pet food extend its shelf life? How should I store my pet food?

Freezing any pet food, once it has been opened, will not do much in the way of extending its shelf life. The biggest problem pet food suffers from when stored is rancidity. Rancidity is caused by 3 main issues, exposure to light, heat and oxygen. Both light and heat are easy for anyone to control, but oxygen is everywhere. When you receive a bag of our food it is in a light and air tight bag and that bag has been nitrogen flushed to remove most of the oxygen. Nitrogen is a harmless gas and makes up 78% of the air we breathe every day. Nitrogen does not react with fat like oxygen and the shelf life of the food will be greatly extended. However once you open the bag oxygen floods in and the pet food will begin to age more quickly. This is why it is always a good idea to burp out any excess air before re-closing the bag.

Once you open the bag oxygen is reintroduced to the food. Freezing the food does not change this fact and the food will continue to go rancid whether in the freezer or in your cupboard. Freezer burn is a classic example of rancidity and that is why freezer burned meat tastes so bad. This is why vacuum packing your meat prior to freezing will keep that meat tasting great for a long time.

When purchasing our food we recommend that you only buy enough food to last you four months or less. We have found a sixty day supply to be optimum for both your convenience and your cat’s preference. Your cats are very sensitive to rancidity and will stop eating a food long before you can detect the rancidity. This can often be observed when a cat becomes less enthusiastic about the tail end of the old bag and then dives into a new bag of food.

It is best to store your pet food is in a cool, dark and dry place. A storage temperature of 50-60 degrees would be ideal, but room temperature will be just fine. We generally do not recommend refrigerating pet food, because of condensation. When cold food is exposed to humid room air condensation will form on the food and that excess moisture can cause mold to grow.